India enforces stricter deepfake rules with mandatory AI labelling and 3-hour takedown

The Government of India strengthened enforcement of amended IT Rules requiring intermediaries to clearly label AI-generated synthetic content with traceable metadata and to remove unlawful AI-generated material, including deepfakes, within three hours of receiving a valid government or court direction, down from 36 hours. Non-compliance risks loss of safe harbour protections under Section 79 of the IT Act. The measures form part of broader IndiaAI Mission efforts on responsible AI and deepfake detection.