MeitY Notifies IT (Intermediary Guidelines And Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2026

MeitY by way of notification dated 10.02.2026, has notified the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2026 ("IT Amendment Rules"),¹ amending the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 ("IT Rules").

The IT Amendment Rules introduce a regulatory framework which shall govern synthetically generated information and imposes enhanced due diligence obligations on intermediaries and significant social media intermediaries ("SSMIs").

i. Insertion of new definitions:

1. "audio, visual or audio-visual information" which shall mean any audio, image, photograph, graphic, video, sound recording or similar content created, generated, modified or altered through a computer resource.
2. "synthetically generated information" which shall mean audio, visual or audio-visual information artificially or algorithmically created, generated, modified or altered using a computer resource in a manner that appears real or authentic and is likely to be perceived as indistinguishable from a natural person or real-world event.

ii. Clarificatory changes to Rule 2 of the IT Rules:

1. any reference to "information" used for unlawful acts under the IT Rules shall be construed to include synthetically generated information.
2. removal or disabling of access to information, including synthetically generated information, by deploying reasonable and appropriate technical measures in compliance with the IT Rules shall not amount to a violation of the conditions under Section 79(2)(a) or (b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000 ("IT Act").

iii. Amendments to Due Diligence Obligations: Rule 3 of the IT Rules, which prescribes due diligence obligations of intermediaries, has been amended wherein intermediaries are now required to periodically inform users, at least once every three months, through their rules, privacy policies or user agreements, regarding consequences of noncompliance, including suspension or termination of access, removal of non-compliant information, and potential liability under applicable laws. Further, where intermediaries enable the creation or dissemination of synthetically generated information, additional disclosures must be made to users regarding potential penalties under various statutes including the IT Act, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012.

iv. Reduced Statutory Timelines: The requirement to remove or disable access to content within36 hours (under clause (d) of sub-rule (1) of Rule 3 of the IT Rules) of receiving appropriate governmental directions has now been reduced to 3 hours. The grievance redressal timeline has been reduced from 15 days (under clause (a) of sub-rule (2) of Rule 3 of the IT Rules) to 7 days. The acknowledgment timeline has been reduced from 72 hours (under clause (a) of sub-rule (2) of Rule 3 of the IT Rules) to 36 hours. The obligation to remove certain categories of content has been reduced from 24 hours (under clause (b) of sub-rule (2) of Rule 3 of the IT Rules) to 2 hours.

v. Due Diligence for Synthetic Content Generation: The IT Amendment Rules under sub-rule(3) of Rule 3 of the IT Rules, require the intermediaries that enable synthetic content generation to conduct due diligence in relation to synthetically generated information. Such intermediaries must deploy reasonable and appropriate technical measures to prevent generation of unlawful synthetic content, including child sexual abuse material, nonconsensual intimate imagery, obscene material, false documents or electronic records, content relating to explosives or arms, and deceptive portrayal of persons or events.

vi. Additional Obligations for SSMIs: The IT Amendment Rules further prescribe additional due diligence requirement for SSMIs, whereby SSMIs, prior to display or publication of information, require users to declare whether content is synthetically generated, deploy appropriate technical measures to verify such declarations, and ensure clear and prominent labelling where content is confirmed to be synthetic. Knowingly permitting non-compliant synthetic content may amount to failure of due diligence. Further, the earlier obligation to "endeavour to deploy" technology based measures has been replaced with a mandatory requirement to "deploy appropriate technical measures."

The IT Amendment Rules shall come into force from 20.02.2026.

Footnote

1. Information Technology (Intermediary guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2026

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