IT Rules: MeitY stands firm on 3-hour takedown rule in meeting with Big Tech

The IT Rules was notified on February 10, 2026

• Government will not dilute the three-hour content takedown rule.
• Platforms must comply with orders via the Sahyog portal.
• Officials open to workshops on technical implementation issues.

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The government has made it clear to social media platforms and technology companies that it will not dilute the three-hour content takedown mandate introduced under the recently-notified amendments to the IT Rules, according to three people familiar with the closed-door discussions held on February 25.

Representatives of major global platforms and industry bodies met officials from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), including IT Secretary S Krishnan and Joint Secretary Ajit Kumar, to convey concerns over the compressed timelines and operational feasibility.

From the government's side, the message was unambiguous.

"It was indicated that the rules as notified would stand. No changes are contemplated," one person with direct knowledge of the meeting said.

Industry participants were told that enforcement would largely flow through takedown orders under Sec 79 (3) (b) routed via the Sahyog portal of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), rather than directly from MeitY

According to people present, officials underlined that action would be taken by law enforcement agencies using the portal, and platforms would be expected to comply with the three-hour window once such orders are issued.

The amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, reduced the earlier 36-hour deadline for removing unlawful content to three hours, a move that has drawn sustained pushback from industry.

At the same time, the government signalled some openness to engage on technical implementation challenges.

Officials indicated they were willing to hold a workshop with companies to work through operational issues, including scenarios such as system outages or delays in accessing orders through the Sahyog portal.

The meeting was attended by representatives of Big Tech firms as well as Indian and international trade bodies, including the US-India Business Council.

Industry executives reiterated that determining the legality of content within three hours, especially in complex cases such as deepfakes or misinformation, would require significant operational restructuring.

This development follows recent criticism from global platforms, including senior executives from Meta, who have argued that while companies are committed to tackling harmful content, the three-hour timeline leaves little room for careful legal and factual assessment.

Officials, however, have maintained that the speed of virality on social media necessitates rapid intervention and that large platforms possess the technological capability to comply at scale.