India: Issued MeitY statement regarding the handling of misinformation under the Information Technology Rules 2021

On 7 November 2023, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued a statement regarding the handling of misinformation under the Information Technology Rules 2021 (IT Rules). The advisory is addressed to significant social media intermediaries, defined as platforms with more than 5 million registered users in India. The advisory specifies that the timeframes for the identification and deletion of misinformation and deepfakes under the IT Rules must be complied with. Specifically, any reported misinformation flagged by a user or government authority must be removed from the platform within 36 hours. The advisory notes that the platforms non-compliant with the content moderation rules can be held liable for information, data or communication links posted by a third party.