India has introduced new rules that make it mandatory for social media companies to remove unlawful material within three hours of being notified, in a sharp tightening of the existing 36-hour deadline.
The amended guidelines will take effect from 20 February and apply to major platforms including Meta, YouTube, and X. They will also apply to AI-generated content.
The government did not provide a reason for reducing the takedown window.
But critics worry the move is part of a broader tightening of oversight of online content and could lead to censorship in the world's largest democracy with more than a billion internet users.
In recent years, Indian authorities have used existing Information Technology rules to order social media platforms to remove content deemed illegal under laws dealing with national security and public order. Experts say they give authorities wide-ranging power over social media content.
According to transparency reports, more than 28,000 URLs or web links were blocked in 2024 following government requests.
In addition to the accelerated removal timelines, the amendments introduce new definitions and regulations for AI-generated content, requiring platforms to label such material appropriately.
While some experts welcome the labeling requirements as a step toward transparency, others express concern that the three-hour deadline may drive platforms toward automated censorship, depriving users of fair content review.
Digital rights groups have characterized the compressed timeline as a move that would effectively transform platforms into rapid fire censors, highlighting the potential for increased censorship and the undermining of rights to free expression.
