Amendments to IT Rules to regulate Synthetic Media and Deepfakes: Meity

On 10^th February, 2026, The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (herein referred to as “MeitY”) notified the Information Technology Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code Amendment Rules, 2021, explicitly bringing synthetically generated information, including deepfakes, within the scope of the IT Rules’ due diligence framework.

The amendments regulating synthetic media will come into force on 20 February, 2026, giving platforms a 10 day compliance window and aim to bring Synthetically Generated Information (herein referred to as “SGI”) under strict legal oversight.

As per Rule2 (a) (ii) (wa) – “SGI” means audio, visual or audio-visual information which is artificially or algorithmically created, generated, modified or altered using a computer resource, in a manner that such information appears to be real, authentic or true and depicts or portrays any individual or event in a manner that is, or is likely to be perceived as indistinguishable from a natural person or real-world event.

The changes expand due diligence obligations such as:

• deploying reasonable and appropriate technical measures (including automated tools) to detect and prevent unlawful synthetically generated information;
• issuing periodic user advisories and updating platform policies to inform users about restrictions on creating or sharing deepfakes;
• clearly labelling or identifying permissible synthetic content to ensure transparency to users;
• acting expeditiously to disable access to violative content upon obtaining knowledge or receiving complaints;
• strengthening grievance redressal mechanisms in line with the shortened compliance timelines; and
• enabling traceability, reporting, and cooperation with law enforcement where synthetic media is linked to offences.
• The amendments also introduce new definitions, shorten takedown and grievance timelines, and lay down a framework for how platforms must handle synthetic audio-visual content online.

Source: The official notification can be accessed at below link: