India yesterday proposed changes to its IT law to ‌make advisories and clarifications legally binding on internet platforms such as Meta , Google and X, the latest in a string of stricter compliance requirements for tech giants. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government this ⁠year compressed the timeline for platforms to take down content flagged by authorities to three hours, from 36 hours previously, and has imposed new obligations around AI-generated content and deepfakes.

According to a Reuters report from Bengaluru yesterday, currently, the IT Ministry’s advisories to platforms — on issues ranging from deepfake labelling to content takedown practices — have functioned as guidance without explicit legal ‌consequences.

In ⁠new proposed rules on Monday (March 30), the government said non-compliance with advisories or guidelines issued by the IT Ministry would be treated as a failure to meet the conditions ⁠for safe harbour — the legal shield that protects platforms from liability for content posted by their users.

The changes were ⁠being proposed to “strengthen enforceability” of directions and “improve legal certainty”, the Ministry said in a notice inviting ⁠public feedback by April 14.

Meta, Google and X did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Meanwhile, the government notice inviting feedback from stakeholders highlighted the following:

(i)           Amendments in Part II:

• Clarification in Rule 3(1)(g) and 3(1)(h) that retention obligations are without prejudice to requirements under other laws.
• Insertion of Rule 3(4) mandating compliance by intermediaries with Ministry-issued clarifications, advisories, directions, SOPs, codes of practice and guidelines, forming part of due diligence under section 79.

(ii) Amendments in Part III:

• Clarification of applicability of Part III (Rule 8) to intermediaries and news and current affairs content hosted by non-publisher users.
• Strengthening of Rule 14 to expand the scope and functioning of the Inter-Departmental Committee to consider matters beyond complaints, including those referred by the Ministry.