India tells global tech platforms to follow constitution after tougher content rules

India’s information minister said on Tuesday that big tech platforms ​like Google’s YouTube, Meta, X and ‌Netflix must operate within the country’s ​constitutional framework, a week ⁠after New Delhi tightened its content-takedown rules.

His comments came on the sidelines of an ‌artificial intelligence summit in Delhi, where top executives from global AI ‌giants will join several world ‌leaders ⁠in this week.

“It’s very important ⁠for the multinationals to understand the cultural context of the country in which they ​are operating,” Ashwini Vaishnaw ‌said during a briefing at the India AI Impact Summit.

Last week, India said social media companies will have ‌to remove unlawful content within three ​hours of being notified, tightening an earlier 36-hour timeline, in ⁠what could be a compliance challenge for Meta, YouTube and X.

There is ‌a need for much stronger regulation on deepfakes, Vaishnaw said, adding that a dialogue has already been initiated with the industry on the issue.

There is mounting global pressure on ‌social media companies to police content more ​aggressively, with governments from Brussels to Brasilia demanding faster takedowns and ⁠greater accountability.

On Tuesday, Spain ordered prosecutors to ⁠investigate social media platforms X, Meta and TikTok for allegedly spreading AI-generated ‌child sexual abuse material, as European regulators intensify scrutiny of big ​tech over harmful and illegal content.