Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 30, 2026
2 min readLast updated: March 30, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleIndia’s IT ministry has proposed amendments to make its advisories legally binding on major tech platforms—non‑compliance would jeopardise their safe‑harbour protection under Section 79 of the IT Act.
(Story refiles to fix day in first paragraph to Monday from Tuesday)
BENGALURU, March 30 (Reuters) - India on Monday proposed changes to its IT law to make advisories and clarifications legally binding on internet platforms such as Meta, Google and X, the latest in a string of stricter compliance requirements for tech giants.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government this year compressed the timeline for platforms to take down content flagged by authorities to three hours, from 36 hours previously, and has imposed new obligations around AI-generated content and deepfakes.
Currently, the IT ministry's advisories to platforms - on issues ranging from deepfake labelling to content takedown practices - have functioned as guidance without explicit legal consequences.
In new proposed rules on Monday, the government said non-compliance with advisories or guidelines issued by the IT ministry would be treated as a failure to meet the conditions for safe harbour - the legal shield that protects platforms from liability for content posted by their users.
The changes were being proposed to "strengthen enforceability" of directions and "improve legal certainty", the ministry said in a notice inviting public feedback by April 14.
Meta, Google and X did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
(Reporting by Munsif Vengattil in Bengaluru; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
India has proposed making government advisories and clarifications legally binding for tech platforms like Meta, Google, and X.
Non-compliance will be treated as failure to meet safe harbour conditions, removing legal protection from liability for user-posted content.
Tech platforms must now take down flagged content within three hours instead of the previous 36 hours.
The advisories cover issues like deepfake labelling, content takedown practices, and obligations around AI-generated content.
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