New draft amendments aim to tighten disclosure rules for synthetic media, ensuring users are consistently informed about AI-generated visuals amid rising concerns over deepfakes and misleading digital content across platforms.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has proposed tighter norms requiring platforms to display labels on AI-generated or synthetic content throughout its entire duration. The move seeks to strengthen existing provisions that currently mandate only “prominent visibility,” without defining how long such labels should remain visible.
The proposal forms part of a broader set of amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, which were initially released for public consultation on March 30. In light of the new changes, the ministry has extended the deadline for stakeholder feedback from April 29 to May 7, allowing additional time for review.
Push for continuous disclosure
At the core of the amendment is a revision to Rule 3(3)(a)(ii), which governs how intermediaries label synthetic content. The updated draft proposes that such disclosures must be “continuous and clearly visible” for the entire duration of the content, replacing the earlier requirement of general prominence.
This shift implies that brief disclosures—such as a watermark appearing only at the beginning of a video—will no longer meet compliance standards. Instead, platforms will need to ensure that viewers are consistently informed when content has been generated or altered using artificial intelligence.
Implications for platforms and media
The proposed change is expected to have wide-ranging implications across digital platforms, including short-form video apps, news organisations, and political advertisers that increasingly rely on AI-generated visuals. By enforcing persistent labelling, regulators aim to reduce the risks of misinformation, deepfakes, and misleading digital media.
In its notice dated April 21, MeitY stated that the extension of the consultation period is intended to provide stakeholders adequate opportunity to examine the additional provisions alongside the earlier draft amendments.
The move reflects growing regulatory attention toward AI-driven content and signals a push for greater accountability and transparency in India’s rapidly evolving digital ecosystem.
