Government Proposes IT Rules Amendment to Regulate User-Posted News on Social Media Platforms
The Central Government has proposed amending the IT Rules, 2021, to regulate news content shared by non-publisher users on social media. The draft mandates intermediary compliance with Ministry directions and expands the Inter-Departmental Committee's oversight. Stakeholders must submit feedback by April 14, 2026, to address these procedural and regulatory changes.
Mumbai, March 31: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has proposed significant amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. The draft rules aim to expand regulatory oversight to include news and current affairs content shared by social media users who are not registered publishers. By bringing user-generated news dissemination under the Digital Media Ethics Code, the government seeks to ensure that individual accounts adhere to the same regulatory framework as digital news organisations.
The Ministry has officially invited feedback from various stakeholders on these proposed changes. Interested parties have until April 14, 2026, to submit their comments and suggestions via email to the ministry’s designated consultation address. New AI Rules: India’s 2026 IT Amendments and What They Mean for Deepfakes and Sexually Exploitative Content Explained.
Extension of Regulatory Oversight to Non-Publisher Users
The most notable change in the draft is the clarification of Part III of the IT Rules. Currently, this section governs the ethics code for digital news publishers and OTT platforms. The amendment proposes to extend these provisions to "news and current affairs content hosted, displayed, uploaded, modified, published, transmitted, stored, updated or shared" by users who are not classified as publishers.
This move effectively bridges a regulatory gap where news-like content shared by individuals or independent commentators on platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and YouTube remained outside the formal ethics code. Under the new framework, intermediaries—the social media platforms themselves—will be responsible for ensuring that such user-generated news content aligns with the prescribed guidelines.
Mandatory Compliance and Intermediary Due Diligence
The draft introduces a new Rule 3(4) under Part II, which explicitly mandates that intermediaries must comply with all clarifications, advisories, directions, and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) issued by the Ministry. This requirement is framed as a part of the "due diligence" obligations necessary for platforms to maintain their "safe harbour" protection under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act.
Additionally, the proposal clarifies data retention obligations. Rules 3(1)(g) and 3(1)(h) will now operate without prejudice to other applicable laws, ensuring that platforms maintain user data as required by the government for investigative or regulatory purposes. The Ministry described these updates as "clarificatory and procedural," intended to improve legal certainty and strengthen the enforceability of government directions.
Strengthening the Inter-Departmental Committee
To ensure effective oversight, the government proposes to strengthen Rule 14 by expanding the powers of the Inter-Departmental Committee (IDC). Under the current rules, the IDC primarily considers complaints received against digital content. The amendment would empower the committee to also take up matters referred to it directly by the Ministry.
This change significantly widens the executive branch's supervisory role over digital content. By allowing the Ministry to flag content to the committee directly, the government can initiate regulatory reviews of digital news and user-posted information without waiting for a formal public complaint.
Background and Objectives of the Amendment
The Information Technology Rules, 2021, were originally designed to create a grievance redressal mechanism for social media users and to regulate digital media. Over the past five years, the rapid rise of "citizen journalism" and independent news creators has led to concerns regarding the spread of unverified information and the lack of accountability for non-registered news entities. New AI Rules: Social Media Platforms Must Prominently Label AI-Generated Content and Block Sexually Exploitative AI Materials.
The Ministry stated that the proposed 2026 amendments are necessary to ensure effective oversight of intermediary-hosted content, particularly in the sensitive domain of news and current affairs. Stakeholders, including legal experts, digital rights activists, and tech companies, are expected to provide extensive feedback on how these rules might impact freedom of expression and the operational burden on social media platforms before the April 14 deadline.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 31, 2026 10:17 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).