New Delhi: The Central government has significantly tightened India’s digital governance framework by reducing the deadline for social media platforms to remove sensitive online content from 24 hours to just two hours. The revised provisions, introduced through amendments to the Information Technology (IT) Rules, 2021, are aimed at strengthening the country’s response to the growing threat posed by deepfakes, AI-generated misinformation, and other forms of synthetically generated information (SGI).
According to the amended rules notified on February 10, 2026, social media intermediaries will now be required to act much faster on content that violates legal or public safety standards. Platforms must remove unlawful content within three hours of receiving valid and reasoned directions from the appropriate government authority or a court. Earlier, they had up to 36 hours to comply with such orders.
The government has also shortened grievance redressal timelines to ensure quicker action on user complaints. Social media companies must now resolve general complaints within 36 hours instead of the previous 72-hour limit. Cases involving highly sensitive issues such as nudity, impersonation, or similar harmful content must be addressed within two hours, reflecting the Centre’s emphasis on protecting users from online abuse and digital exploitation.
The updated IT Rules continue to place greater responsibility on Significant Social Media Intermediaries (SSMIs), defined as platforms with more than 50 lakh users in India. These companies are expected to deploy appropriate technical measures, including automated tools, to proactively detect and prevent the circulation of content depicting rape, child sexual abuse, or material substantially similar to previously removed illegal content.
The government has also made it clear that failure to comply with the amended rules could have serious legal consequences. Non-compliant intermediaries risk losing the “safe harbour” protection available under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act, making them vulnerable to legal action and prosecution under applicable laws.
