Photo Source: ANI
India cuts down social media takedown deadline to 3 hours, tightens digital content rules
Babushahi Bureau
New Delhi, February 10, 2026: India has significantly tightened its regulatory control over social media platforms by reducing the time limit for removing unlawful content from 36 hours to just three hours after official notification. The change comes through amendments to the Information Technology (IT) Rules, 2021, and will come into force on February 20.
The revised deadline is expected to pose major compliance challenges for global technology companies such as Meta, YouTube, and X, which operate large-scale content moderation systems across multiple jurisdictions. The government’s move signals a push for faster enforcement against content deemed illegal.
Alongside stricter timelines, the amendments also relax earlier requirements related to labeling artificial intelligence-generated content. Platforms are no longer mandated to display AI labels across 10% of their interface or content duration. Instead, they must ensure that such material is “prominently labelled,” giving companies more flexibility in implementation.
The updated rules underline India’s growing assertiveness in regulating online speech. Under existing IT regulations, the government can direct platforms to remove content considered unlawful under laws related to national security, public order, and sexual offenses. Social media firms have already received thousands of takedown directives in recent years.