India proposes making government advisories legally binding on tech giants

India on Tuesday 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.

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, 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.