India’s new digital rules force social media to act within hours

NEW DELHI: India is tightening its control over online content, requiring social media platforms to remove unlawful material within three hours of being notified, a significant acceleration from the previous 36-hour window. The new rules, set to take effect on February 20, mark one of the fastest enforcement timelines in the world.

The amended regulations update India’s 2021 IT rules, which have already sparked tensions between the government and major technology companies such as Meta, YouTube, and X (formerly Twitter). Platforms now face the dual challenge of policing content in a country with more than 1 billion internet users while avoiding potential penalties for non-compliance.

 “It’s practically impossible for social media firms to remove content in three hours,” said Akash Karmakar, a partner at Indian law firm Panag & Babu who specialises in technology law. “This assumes no application of mind or real-world ability to resist compliance.”

The government did not provide a specific reason for shortening the takedown timeline, but the move reinforces India’s reputation as one of the world’s most aggressive regulators of online content. In recent years, authorities have issued thousands of takedown orders to enforce laws covering national security, public order, and other legal requirements.

Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, declined to comment on the changes. X and Alphabet’s Google, which operates YouTube, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Meta’s transparency reports reveal the scale of government interventions: in the first six months of 2025 alone, the company restricted more than 28,000 pieces of content in India following official requests.

The updated rules also revise earlier proposals around AI-generated content. Platforms are no longer required to label AI material across a set percentage of their content; instead, it must be “prominently labelled,” a lighter but still notable compliance requirement.

The new three-hour window is expected to place immense operational pressure on global platforms, which must now ensure teams are ready around the clock to review and remove content that could violate Indian law. Critics warn this could lead to over-removal and further concerns about censorship.

 “This rule was never in consultation,” said a senior social media executive, speaking on condition of anonymity. “International standards provide a longer timeline for review and due process.”

India joins a growing number of countries, from the EU to Brazil, demanding faster content takedowns and stronger platform accountability. For tech companies, the new rules underline a global reality: balancing compliance with freedom of expression is becoming increasingly complex.