New Delhi, Feb. 10 -- The government on Tuesday notified the amended Information Technology (IT) Rules, 2026, introducing a stricter compliance regime for social media companies to combat the rise of deepfakes and other sensitive content on digital platforms such as X, Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, among others.

The new rules impose drastically tighter deadlines for user safety. The platforms must remove non-consensual intimate imagery and deepfake content within two hours of receiving a complaint, a sharp reduction from the previous 24-hour window.

Additionally, platforms are now required to take down other unlawful content within three hours of a government or court order, down from the earlier 36-hour limit.

Separately, the governm...