India has stepped up its social media regulations, ordering the removal of illegal content within three hours, pressuring Meta, YouTube, and X amid criticism that it undermines online freedom.
The Indian government announced stricter social media oversight by issuing new rules requiring online platforms to remove illegal content within three hours of notification, reduced from the previous 36-hour window. This tightening could place significant pressure on global tech giants such as Meta, YouTube, and X.
These new regulations amend the 2021 IT Rules, which previously sparked conflicts between Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government and various foreign tech companies. The updated rules will take effect starting 20 February.
This measure reinforces India’s reputation as one of the countries with the strictest online content regulations, while social media platforms struggle to balance legal compliance with concerns over government censorship in a market with over one billion internet users.
However, the Indian government has not officially explained why it shortened the content removal timeframe to just three hours.
Experts point out that meeting this requirement is practically impossible. Akash Karmakar, partner at the law firm Panag & Babu specializing in technology law, stated that this mandate is nearly unfeasible in practice.
"It is almost impossible for social media companies to remove content within three hours. This rule seems based on assumptions that disregard factual considerations or operational realities," he said.
Over the years, India has granted numerous government officials the authority to order the removal of online content, a practice frequently criticized by digital rights groups and causing conflicts with tech companies, including Elon Musk’s X.
Meta, the owner of Facebook, declined to comment on the rule changes, while X and Google, which owns YouTube, have yet to respond or comment on the matter.
Transparency reports from various platforms indicate that India has issued thousands of content removal orders in recent years. Notably, Meta disclosed that in the first half of 2025, it restricted access to over 28,000 pieces of content in India following government requests.
India’s IT law empowers the government to order the removal of content deemed illegal under any national law, including those related to national security and public order.
Besides content removal, the amended regulations have relaxed previous requirements mandating platforms to label AI-generated content covering at least 10% of the material. The new rule only requires clear identification that the content is AI-generated.
Source:channelnewsasia
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