The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) on October 22 released draft amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, aimed at curbing the misuse of generative AI and deepfake technologies.
The proposed changes introduce a clear definition of “synthetically generated information” and require platforms, especially significant social media intermediaries (SSMIs), to label such content through metadata and visible or audible markings.
SSMIs under IT Rules are those platforms which have more than 5 million registered users in India. Such platform like a Facebook, Youtube, Snap and so on are liable to additional compliances under the 2021 rules.
Under the proposed rule 3(3), any social media platform that enables the creation of synthetically generated content, like AI content, must ensure that the information is “prominently labelled or embedded with a permanent unique metadata or identifier”.
The rules say that the identifier should be visible or audible, “covering at least ten percent of the surface area of the visual display or, in the case of audio content, during the initial ten percent of its duration.”
The draft rules also say that the metadata or identifier must not be alterable, suppressed, or removed.
Platforms enabling the creation or modification of such synthetic content would also be required to adopt technical measures to verify and declare if uploaded content is AI-generated, MeitY said.
MeitY said the move is part of its broader push to maintain an “open, safe, trusted and accountable Internet” while addressing growing risks of misinformation, impersonation, and election manipulation driven by generative AI.
The ministry has invited stakeholder feedback on the draft by November 6, 2025, via email at itrules.consultation@meity.gov.in.
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