India tightens grip on social media with new three-hour takedown rule

NEW DELHI: India’s government said on Tuesday social media companies would have to take down unlawful content within  three hours of being notified about it, tightening an earlier 36-hour timeline in what could be a compliance challenge for Meta, YouTube and X.

The changes amend India’s 2021 IT rules, which have already been a flashpoint between Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government and global technology companies.

The amended rules also relaxed an earlier proposal that would have required platforms to visibly label AI-generated content across 10% of its surface area or duration, instead mandating that such content be “prominently labelled”.

The new regulations will take effect from February 20.

The tighter timeline marks the latest escalation in India’s efforts to control online speech, with a takedown regime that has drawn criticism from digital rights advocates and prompted clashes with companies including Elon Musk’s X.

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Facebook-owner Meta declined to comment on the changes, while X and Alphabet’s Google, which operates YouTube, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The rules add to mounting global pressure on social media companies to police content more aggressively, with governments from Brussels to Brasilia demanding faster takedowns and greater accountability.

India’s IT rules empower the government to order the removal of content deemed illegal under various laws, including those related to national security, public order and sexual offenses.

The country has issued thousands of takedown orders in recent years, according to platform transparency reports.