EveryAILaw.comIT (Intermediary Guidelines) Amendment Rules 2026 — Synthetic Media
Obligations Covered
Timeline
| Milestone | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Gazette notification | Feb 10, 2026 | G.S.R. 120(E); amends IT Rules 2021 |
| Effective | Feb 20, 2026 | 10-day delayed commencement |
Related Regulations and Standards
Related instruments are selected from shared compliance obligations and jurisdiction coverage.
Provisions (2)
Synthetic Media Labeling and Provenance #
India's first binding synthetic media obligations: intermediaries enabling AI-generated content (deepfakes, audio/video synthesis) must embed permanent provenance metadata and prominent labels — and prevent their removal. Non-compliance forfeits safe harbor under the IT Act 2000.
Requirements
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Prominent labeling | Synthetically generated information (SGI) must carry prominent, visible labels |
| Permanent metadata | Technical provenance mechanisms (e.g., unique identifiers) must be embedded and preserved |
| Removal prevention | Intermediaries must not allow labels or metadata to be modified, suppressed, or removed |
| Audio disclosure | Audio SGI must carry a prominently prefixed audio disclosure identifying it as synthetically generated |
| Blocking unlawful SGI | Deploy reasonable and appropriate technical measures to prevent users creating or transmitting SGI unlawful under Indian law |
| Court/government-flagged unlawful SGI | Unlawful SGI flagged by court order or authorised government intimation must be removed within 3 hours (Rule 3(1)(d), amended from thirty-six hours) |
| Priority unlawful content | Content under Rule 3(2)(b) (e.g., non-consensual intimate imagery) must be removed within 2 hours of a complaint (amended from twenty-four hours) |
| SSMI user declaration | Significant social media intermediaries must require users to declare SGI, verify the declaration with technical measures, and label confirmed SGI (Rule 4(1A)) |
Penalties
| Violation | Fine |
|---|---|
| Non-compliance with due diligence | |
| Failure to act after knowledge |
Synthetic Media Metadata Retention #
Requirements
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Permanent metadata | Provenance metadata (unique identifiers, creation markers) must be embedded permanently |
| Metadata integrity | Intermediaries must ensure metadata is not removed, modified, or suppressed by downstream users or systems |
Penalties
| Violation | Fine |
|---|---|
| Non-compliance |
Cite this regulation
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Attribution: EveryAILaw, PAICE.work PBC. “IT (Intermediary Guidelines) Amendment Rules 2026 — Synthetic Media”, EveryAILaw.com, Jul 10, 2026. https://everyailaw.com/regulation/in-it-amendment-rules-2026/
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