NEW DELHI: The government has proposed tightening IT rules, this time focusing specifically on how users identify AI-generated content online.
Here’s a quick look at what the new proposal entails, why it matters, and concerns raised by digital rights groups about the wave of IT rule amendments currently under consideration.
Proposed basic changes:
Currently, IT rules require “clear visibility” of labels/tags on AI content.
The draft amendments, which were distributed by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on Tuesday for public comments, seek to replace the phrase “prominent visibility” with the phrase “continuous and clearly visible display of labels” for the full duration they appear on the screen.
Simply put, this means that a watermark or label that identifies content as AI-generated can’t just appear at the beginning or end of a video; It must remain on the screen for the duration of the visual presentation.
So, “Now you see it, now you don’t see it” will no longer be displayed. MeitY wants to make sure that if a video is created by AI, you, the viewer, know it from the first second to the last.
Why is this done:
–
The main driver is the increasing misuse of artificial intelligence. Meity believes that life-like but fake videos circulating online lead to misinformation and mislead users, hence, such content generated through AI tools should be flagged/identified in advance.
By imposing a permanent mark, the government wants to ensure that even if a viewer watches a video midway through or tunes out at any point in the clip, they immediately realize that the content is synthetic.
Meity officials say compliance with the previous mandate of the “prominent visibility” sign was not satisfactory.
Imagine a 5-minute video generated by AI that only displays a label for the first 5 seconds. If you joined the video at the two-minute mark, you missed the AI mark and may consider this correct. Officials say the “always on” label is more practical. And transparent.
Social media intermediaries, platforms like X, YouTube, and Meta, must ensure that these rankings are maintained. Companies creating AI generation tools must rely on these ongoing tagging mechanisms, and this requirement applies to users of social media and AI tools.
What other provisions of the amendments to the draft IT rules have made headlines?
The proposed “continuous naming” mandate is part of a larger set of IT rule amendments being considered. Other proposed provisions that have emerged as major flashpoints include:
Mandatory compliance of social media platforms with the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Information Technology. The government proposes to make platforms legally binding to follow clarifications, advisories, standard operating procedures and guidelines.
Influencer regulations: “News and current affairs content” published by non-publisher users may soon have to adhere to the same legal framework as registered digital news portals.
Undo:
–
Digital advocacy groups, such as the Internet Freedom Foundation, have raised several red flags:
Consultation fatigue: The IFF finds that the government keeps adding new changes while the current consultation is already underway, making it difficult for the public to provide structured feedback.
Ad hoc policy making: Critics argue that rules are changed frequently without a stable, long-term roadmap.
Allegations of legal overreach: The IFF recently expressed concerns about the proposal to mandate compliance with “consultations”, saying it “creates a sweeping power for Meity to issue binding instruments, which are not grounded in law”.
She added that the practical impact of the change would be a constant threat to brokers’ compliance. Overall, the IFF warned that the changes could significantly expand executive power over online expression.
What happens next:
The government extended the deadline for stakeholders to submit feedback on these proposals until May 7, 2026.
MeitY stated that comments will be provided in a fiduciary capacity, meaning that the identities of those providing comments will not be revealed, to encourage free and honest opinion. After consultation, the government will take a view on the final version of the amended IT rules.
This article was generated from an automated news feed without any modifications to the text.
