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

Published
0
Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister for Information & Broadcasting and Electronics and Information Technology gestures as he speaks during a press conference at Bharat Mandapam, one of the venues for AI Impact Summit, in New Delhi, India, February 17, 2026. — Reuters
Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister for Information & Broadcasting and Electronics and Information Technology gestures as he speaks during a press conference at Bharat Mandapam, one of the venues for AI Impact Summit, in New Delhi, India, February 17, 2026. — Reuters

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 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.

Opinion

Editorial

Risks ahead
02 Oct, 2026

Risks ahead

ON Thursday, a day after the PTI leadership expressed its resolve to go ahead with its planned protest march this...
Exit from Iraq
02 Oct, 2026

Exit from Iraq

AMERICAN and British troops have once again shipped out of Iraq. On Wednesday, the foreign forces left the Arab...
Lahore’s ozone warning
02 Oct, 2026

Lahore’s ozone warning

LAHORE has received another warning that its air pollution crisis cannot be treated as a problem that begins with...
Fixing bond markets
Updated 01 Oct, 2026

Fixing bond markets

Pension funds, insurance companies, mutual funds, retail investors, and eventually, foreign investors must become bigger participants in the market.
Call centre rackets
01 Oct, 2026

Call centre rackets

A NUMBER of recent raids conducted by the authorities in different cities point to the growing threat fraudulent ...
Homeward bound
01 Oct, 2026

Homeward bound

FIVE months after Somali pirates captured an oil tanker carrying a 19-member multinational crew, Somali maritime...