New Delhi: The Central government has reduced the deadline for social media platforms to remove online content in sensitive cases from 24 hours to just two hours, according to an official statement issued on Thursday.
The government said the move is aimed at strengthening the regulatory framework to tackle harms arising from deepfakes, AI-generated content and other forms of synthetically generated information (SGI). The changes were introduced through amendments to the Information Technology (IT) Rules, 2021, notified on February 10, 2026.
Under the revised rules, compliance timelines for online intermediaries have been tightened significantly. Platforms must now remove unlawful content within three hours of receiving an order from the government or a court, compared with the earlier 36-hour deadline.
The time limit for grievance redressal has also been reduced from 72 hours to 36 hours, while the deadline for acting on complaints in sensitive cases has been cut from 24 hours to two hours.
According to the government, the revised framework is intended to ensure faster action against harmful and unlawful online content.
The statement further warned that platforms failing to comply with their legal obligations under the IT Rules could lose the protection available under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act, which provides safe harbour for third-party content. In such cases, platforms could become liable for legal action or prosecution under applicable laws.
