MeitY mandates continuous AI labels on synthetic content as deepfake concerns mount

MeitY Proposes Stricter AI Content Labelling on Online Platforms

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) proposed a new change to its draft IT Rules amendments, bringing stricter guidelines for artificial intelligence (AI)-generated content labelling across online platforms. Additionally, the Ministry has also extended the consultation deadline to submit feedback on the new rules, pushing it from April 29 to May 7. The proposed change to AI labels comes at a time when AI images and videos have surged on social media websites, and concerns regarding deepfakes and misinformation have heightened. MeitY Tweaks AI Labelling Rule In a fresh notice published by MeitY on Tuesday, the Ministry has taken a stricter approach towards labels for AI-generated content. In particular, a change has been proposed in Rule 3(3)(a)(ii), which pertains to how these labels will be displayed by the online platforms. Earlier, platforms were asked to ensure "prominent visibility in the visual display" of the AI labels; however, now it has been replaced with ensuring "continuous and clearly visible display of such label throughout the duration of the content, in a visual display." The proposed change might appear minor, but the words "continuous and clearly visible" are important here. This means that as long as the AI-generated content, be an image, video, audio, or a block of text, can be seen on the screen, the platform owners will have to continuously show the AI label in a visible manner. As a result, any temporary or flashing labels that quickly disappear cannot be used. "In order to provide stakeholders an opportunity to examine and submit feedback on the aforesaid additional changes, along with the earlier draft amendments, it has been decided to place these additional amendments also in the public domain for consultation," the circular stated. Making a change in a draft amendment while it is in the consultation phase is unusual, but to ensure that the stakeholders have enough time to go through these changes and share their feedback, MeitY has also extended the deadline from April 29 to May 7. Notably, the Ministry had published the draft amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, on its website on March 30.

MeitY adds stricter AI labelling rule, extends feedback deadline to May 7

Chennai: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has proposed stricter disclosure norms for labelling of AI-generated content under amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 as per a notice on Wednesday. "Further changes have been proposed in Rule 3(3)(a)(ii), which requires continuous and clearly visible display of labels for synthetically generated information throughout the duration of the content in visual display," the notice said. This goes beyond the earlier requirement of "prominent" visibility, and now mandates persistent, uninterrupted disclosure for the entire duration of such content. This requirement is applicable to all users of social media and AI tools, and not just digital news platforms. In order to provide stakeholders an opportunity to examine and submit feedback on the additional changes along with the earlier draft amendments, the ministry said it has decided to place these additional amendments also in the public domain for consultation. Thus, the deadline for public consultation which was on March 30 and later extended to April 29, has been shifted for the second time and now the revised deadline is May 7. These amendments are part of a broader effort to align the IT Rules with recent advisories and directions issued by the Ministry regarding the risks of deepfakes and synthetic media. By forcing a continuous display, the government is aiming to prevent the viral spread of misleading AI content.

MeitY Draft IT Rule Amendments Mandate Continuous AI Labels

You can access the original document from here You can access the notification from here The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has proposed a key change to India's IT Rules that would require platforms to display a clear label on AI-generated content for the entire duration of the content, instead of just making it "prominently visible" at some point. The consultation process, which began after the draft amendments were placed in the public domain on 30 March 2026, was earlier extended till 29 April 2026. The Ministry has now extended the deadline for stakeholders to submit comments to 7 May 2026, following additional changes to the draft Continuous AI Label Requirement: Under the current rules, intermediaries must ensure that labels on synthetically generated content are prominently visible. The new draft replaces this with a stricter requirement: labels must be "continuous and clearly visible... throughout the duration of the content" in visual formats. For audio, a clear up-front disclosure is required. The new requirement replaces the earlier provision under the IT Rules, which mandated only "prominent visibility" of such disclosures. Stronger AI Content Controls: The proposed change builds on amendments introduced in February 2026, when the government formally defined "synthetically generated information" and imposed obligations on platforms to detect, label, and restrict harmful AI-generated content. These include content that is deceptive, sexually explicit, or linked to illegal activities such as creating false documents or facilitating crimes. The draft rules go further by requiring platforms to embed permanent metadata or identifiers in AI-generated content, making it traceable to the originating system. Platforms would also be barred from allowing users to remove or alter such labels or identifiers. Expanded Platform Liability: In addition, the amendments expand intermediary liability and compliance obligations. A new provision mandates that intermediaries must comply with all "clarifications, advisories and directions" issued by MeitY, provided these are issued in writing and specify their legal basis. Compliance with such directions would count toward the due diligence required under Section 79 of the IT Act, which governs safe harbour protections. Concerns Over Process: However, the digital rights group Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) has raised concerns about the updated draft, noting that the repeated layering of amendments during an ongoing consultation could lead to what it described as "consultation fatigue." It also flagged concerns over the approach to feedback handling, pointing to MeitY's statement that submissions will be held "in fiduciary capacity" and not made public, arguing that this limits transparency in a process that shapes digital governance rules. The organisation has urged that public comments be disclosed to enable broader scrutiny and participation.