India’s new AI regulations for social media aim to curb disinformation but spark fears of automated censorship and threats to digital freedoms.

NEW DELHI: India has introduced stricter rules governing artificial intelligence on social media, significantly shortening the time platforms have to remove government-flagged content.

The regulations, set to take effect on February 20, reduce the compliance window for takedown orders from 36 hours to just three.

Authorities say the move is necessary to combat a flood of AI-generated disinformation swamping platforms in the country of over one billion internet users.

Rights groups, however, warn the compressed timeframe risks turning platforms into “rapid-fire censors” and eroding freedom of speech.

The Internet Freedom Foundation said the tight deadlines make “meaningful human review structurally impossible at scale”.

The rules also mandate that platforms clearly and permanently label synthetic or AI-manipulated media with markings that cannot be removed.

Content “created, generated, modified or altered through any computer resource” falls under the new rules, except material changed during routine editing.

Digital rights activist Nikhil Pahwa described the system as “automated censorship”, noting most users are not informed when authorities order their content deleted.

IFF chief Apar Gupta questioned the effectiveness of such labels, as metadata is often stripped when content is edited or reposted.

The regulations further require platforms to deploy automated tools to prevent the spread of illegal content, including forged documents.

A joint report by the US-based Center for the Study of Organized Hate and the IFF warned the laws may encourage “collateral censorship”.

It stated platforms are likely to err on the side of caution with proactive monitoring under the broad new parameters.

Gupta warned that satire, parody, and political commentary using synthetic media could be unfairly swept up in takedowns.

The government had to act because platforms are not behaving responsibly, activist Nikhil Pahwa acknowledged.

He argued, however, that the rules are “without thought”, particularly regarding the enforcement of unique identifiers on synthetic content.

The changes come as India hosts an international AI summit in New Delhi, featuring leading global tech figures.

India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has faced prior accusations from rights groups of curbing freedom of expression, which his government denies.

The country has also slipped in global press freedom rankings during his tenure.

 The Sun Malaysia