[TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE GAZETTE OF INDIA, EXTRAORDINARY, PART II,
SECTION 3, SUB-SECTION (i)]
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
NOTIFICATION
New Delhi, the ___th October, 2025
G.S.R. ____(E).—In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1), clauses (z)
and (zg) of sub-section (2) of section 87 of the Information Technology Act, 2000 (21 of
2000), the Central Government hereby makes the following rules to further amend the
Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules,
2021, namely:—
1. (1) These rules may be called the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines
and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2025.
(2) They shall come into force on the ___ day of________, 2025.
2. In the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics
Code) Rules, 2021 (hereafter referred to as the said rules), in rule 2,⎯
(i) in sub-rule (1), after clause (w), the following clause shall be inserted, namely:⎯
“(wa) ‘synthetically generated information’ means information which is
artificially or algorithmically created, generated, modified or altered using a
computer resource, in a manner that such information reasonably appears to be
authentic or true;”.
(ii) after sub-rule (1), the following sub-rule shall be inserted, namely:⎯
“(1A) For the purposes of these rules, any reference to ‘information’ in the
context of information being used to commit an unlawful act, including under
clause (b) and (d) of sub-rule (1) of rule 3 and sub-rules (2) and (4) of rule 4,
shall be construed to include synthetically generated information, unless the
context otherwise requires.”.
3. In the said rules, in rule 3, in sub-rule (1), in clause (b), before the explanation, the
following proviso shall be inserted, namely:—
“Provided that the removal or disabling of access to any information, including
synthetically generated information, data or communication link within the
categories of information specified under this clause as part of reasonable efforts or
on the basis of grievances received under sub-rule (2) by such intermediary, shall not
amount to a violation of the conditions of clauses (a) or (b) of sub-section (2) of
section 79 of the Act;”.
4. In the said rules, in rule 3, after sub-rule (2), the following sub-rule shall be inserted,
namely:—
“(3) Due diligence in relation to synthetically generated information: (a) Where an
intermediary offers a computer resource which may enable, permit, or facilitate the
creation, generation, modification or alteration of information as synthetically
generated information, it shall ensure that every such information is prominently
labelled or embedded with a permanent unique metadata or identifier, by whatever
name called, in a manner that such label, metadata or identifier is visibly displayed or
made audible in a prominent manner on or within that synthetically generated
information, covering at least ten percent of the surface area of the visual display or,
in the case of audio content, during the initial ten percent of its duration, and can be
used to immediately identify that such information is synthetically generated
information which has been created, generated, modified or altered using the computer
resource of the intermediary;
(b) the intermediary under clause (a) shall not enable the modification, suppression or
removal of such label, permanent unique metadata or identifier, by whatever name
called.”.
5. In the said rules, in rule 4, after sub-rule (1), the following sub-rule shall be inserted,
namely:—
“(1A) A significant social media intermediary which enables displaying, uploading, or
publishing any information on its computer resource shall, prior to such display,
uploading, or publication,—
(a) require users to declare whether such information is synthetically generated
information;
(b) deploy reasonable and appropriate technical measures, including automated
tools or other suitable mechanisms, to verify the accuracy of such declaration,
having regard to the nature, format, and source of such information; and
(c) where such declaration or technical verification confirms that the information
is synthetically generated, ensure that the same is clearly and prominently
displayed with an appropriate label or notice, indicating that the content is
synthetically generated:
Provided that where such intermediary becomes aware, or it is otherwise
established, that the intermediary knowingly permitted, promoted, or failed to act upon
such synthetically generated information in contravention of these rules, such
intermediary shall be deemed to have failed to exercise due diligence under this sub-
rule.
Explanation.—For the removal of doubts, it is hereby clarified that the responsibility
of the significant social media intermediary shall extend to taking reasonable and
proportionate technical measures to verify the correctness of user declarations and to
ensure that no synthetically generated information is published without such
declaration or label.”.
[F. No. …….]
…….
Note.—The principal rules were published in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part
II, Section 3, Sub-section (i), vide notification number G.S.R.139(E), dated the 25th February,
2021 and subsequently amended vide notification number G.S.R.794(E), dated the 28th
October, 2022 and vide notification number G.S.R.275(E), dated the 6th April, 2023.
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