MeitY

India’s First Step Toward AI Accountability The Government of India has proposed the country’s first formal regulatory framework to address the fast-rising threat of deepfakes and synthetic media. On October 22 , the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) released draft amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 , introducing new obligations for intermediaries and content creators dealing with AI-generated...

MeitY amended IT Rules, 2021, mandating that all content takedowns require senior-level officer approval (Joint Secretary/DIG) and a "reasoned intimation" to the user, promoting fairness and accountability in digital content moderation.

As deepfakes blur the boundary between truth and fiction, India’s draft IT Rules propose strict controls on AI-generated content. While aimed at curbing misuse, these rules ignite a larger debate — can the state protect citizens from deception without crossing into digital censorship?

India’s newly released AI Governance Guidelines aim to balance innovation with accountability, but by favoring voluntary compliance over binding rules, do they risk deepening digital inequities?