Digital news in India just saw a huge shake-up this month. Ever since the IT Amendment Rules 2026 kicked in back in February, everything's been changing fast.
Now, with a draft proposal released on March 30, 2026, the difference between an "individual creator" and a "news house" pretty much disappears.
Here's a clear look at what's new:
The biggest change? The government doesn't see any real gap between big news portals and individual creators posting news or current affairs on YouTube, Instagram, or X. You might not get called a "Publisher" in the legal sense, but if you post news content, you have to follow the same Code of Ethics as the big digital news companies. That means the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting can block your post directly if they think you break the code.
Compliance windows are now much tighter. If the government or a court orders that your content needs to come down, you-and the platform-have just 3 hours (down from the old 36 hours) to take it down. For the most urgent cases-think deepfake nudity or revenge porn-the window is only 2 hours. If you miss those deadlines, you lose "Safe Harbour" protection. That could make you and the platform legally responsible for whatever you posted.
A new category called Synthetically Generated Information (SGI) is now officially in. If you use AI to create or change news videos, voiceovers, or images, you have new legal duties:
- You must clearly label your stuff as AI-generated with a watermark or disclaimer.
- Platforms will roll out toggles you click to declare when you're using AI.
- There are new metadata requirements so officials can always trace content back to its creator, closing the loophole for untraceable "fake news."
Digital content has to follow an age-rating system, sort of like what you see on OTT apps. Expect labels like U (Universal), 7+, 13+, 16+, or A (Adult) at the start of videos. If your content is rated 13+ or higher, the platform must offer parental controls. If it's adult content, users have to go through proper age verification.
Another big shift: Any Advisory or SOP from the Ministry now carries legal weight. Before, advisories were basically suggestions. Now, if you ignore an advisory on reporting big events (like communal violence or elections), it counts as a direct violation of the IT Rules.
The time allowed to handle user complaints is shrinking-what used to be 15 days is now 7. If a viewer flags your content and uses the complaint mechanism, you have a week to sort it out. Also, you'll start getting "Quarterly Re-Education" emails or notices from platforms, reminding you of these rules-especially the dangers of deepfakes and misinformation-every three months.