Lok Sabha Question No. 5348 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-25
Subject: SOPs to Address Grey Areas for Social Media Companies
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Shri Naveen Jindal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5348

TO BE ANSWERED ON 25.03.2026

## SOPs TO ADDRESS GREY AREAS FOR SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES

## 5348.   SHRI NAVEEN JINDAL:

Will the Minister of ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has formulated any new guidelines/Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)  to  address  grey  areas  for  social  media  companies  to  comply  with  all  intermediary guidelines;
- (b) if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) the steps taken by the Government to ensure that internet is open, safe and secure?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI JITIN PRASADA)

(a)  to  (c):  The  policies  of  Government  of  India  are  aimed  at  ensuring  open,  safe,  trusted  and accountable cyberspace for users in the country. The Government is cognizant of the risks and harms arising from the misuse of digital technologies including the social media. The Information Technology Act, 2000 ('IT Act') and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 ('IT Rules'), together, have established a framework to deal with unlawful content in the digital space.

## Advisories and Standard Operating Procedure (SOP):

The government has issued multiple advisories to the intermediaries, including the Social Media Intermediaries, emphasizing the observance of due diligence obligations under the IT Act and IT Rules. The details of the advisories issued and SOPs formulated are as follows:

- An advisory dated 26.12.2023 was issued to intermediaries to ensure compliance regarding observance of due diligence obligations under the IT Rules
- An advisory dated 15.03.2024 was issued to intermediaries to  ensure  compliance  with statutory due diligence obligations under the IT Act and IT Rules. The advisory specifically addresses  risks  arising  from  computer  resources  that  permit  the  synthetic  creation  or modification of text, audio, and audiovisual content
- A  Standard  Operating  Procedure  ('SoP')  to  curtail  dissemination  of  Non-Consensual Intimate Imagery (NCII) content on online platforms has been formulated and released on 11.11.2025.  The  SoP  provides  detailed  guidance  for  victims,  intermediaries  and  law enforcement agencies to ensure prompt and uniform action against the online dissemination of NCII content including intimate or morphed images shared without consent
- An advisory dated 29.12.2025 was issued to intermediaries, including the Social Media Intermediaries,  reiterating  the  observance  of  statutory  due  diligence  obligations  by  the Intermediaries  under  the  IT  Act  and  IT  Rules,  for  preventing  hosting,  publication, transmission, sharing, or uploading of vulgar, indecent, obscene, pornographic and other unlawful content on their platforms
- An  advisory  dated  09.02.2026  was  issued  to  intermediaries  regarding  the  responsible handling of information relating to religious matters or otherwise unlawful information
- An advisory dated 16.03.2026 was issued to intermediaries with respect to the generation, hosting, publication, transmission, sharing or uploading of abusive, defamatory, objectionable, derogatory and misleading synthetically generated information

On 10th February, 2026, the Government strengthened the regulatory framework by amending the IT  Rules  to  address  harms  arising  from  synthetically  generated  information  (SGI),  including deepfakes and AI-generated content.

Key points related to the amendment are as follows :-

- Intermediaries  and  social  media  platforms  to  deploy  reasonable  technical  measures  to prevent the creation and dissemination of unlawful AI-generated content, including content that is obscene, misleading, impersonating individuals, or harmful to children
- Platforms are also required to ensure clear labelling and traceable metadata for permissible AI-generated content, so that users can easily identify synthetically generated material and prevent deception or misuse
- It further strengthens user accountability and platform due diligence, including mandatory user  awareness  regarding  legal  consequences  of  unlawful  AI-generated  content  and stronger compliance obligations for social media intermediaries
- Importantly,  the  guidelines  explicitly  covers  child  sexual  exploitation  material,  nonconsensual  intimate  imagery,  impersonation  and  other  harmful  AI-generated  content, requiring platforms to prevent such content and take prompt action when detected
- Intermediaries  are  obligated  to  deploy  reasonable  and  appropriate  technical  measures, including automated tools or other suitable mechanisms, to not allow any user to create, generate, modify, alter, publish, transmit, share, or disseminate, as the case may be, any synthetically generated information that violates any law for the time being in force
- Social media platforms and other intermediaries are required to remove unlawful content within  three  hours  of  the  receipt  of  an  order  of  a  court  of  competent  jurisdiction  or  a reasoned intimation by the Appropriate Government or its agency

*******