Centre Proposes To Extend IT Rules To Users Posting News Content On Social Media

The Central Government has proposed amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, proposing to expand compliance obligations of intermediaries with government-issued directions and to widen the scope of regulatory oversight over online content, including news and current affairs shared by non-publisher users.

The Ministry has invited feedback from stakeholders on the proposed amendments, setting April 14, 2026, as the deadline for submissions.

Significantly, the amendments propose to clarify the applicability of Part III of the IT Rules to intermediaries hosting news and current affairs content posted by users who are not registered publishers. This move effectively brings user-generated dissemination of news content within the regulatory framework governing digital media ethics.

As per the draft, the provisions will apply to "news and current affairs content hosted, displayed, uploaded, modified, published, transmitted, stored, updated or shared on the computer resources of the intermediaries by users who are not publishers.”

Another key proposed change under Part II is the insertion of a new Rule 3(4), which would explicitly mandate intermediaries to comply with Ministry-issued clarifications, advisories, directions, SOPs and guidelines as part of their due diligence obligations under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act. The draft also clarifies that data retention obligations under Rules 3(1)(g) and 3(1)(h) would operate without prejudice to requirements under other applicable laws.

The draft further proposes to strengthen Rule 14 by expanding the scope of the Inter-Departmental Committee constituted under the Rules. The Committee would be empowered to consider not only complaints received against content but also matters referred to it directly by the Ministry, thereby widening the executive's supervisory role over digital content regulation.

The Ministry has described the amendments as “clarificatory and procedural in nature,” stating that they are intended to improve legal certainty, strengthen enforceability of Ministry directions and ensure effective oversight of intermediary-hosted content, particularly news and current affairs.

The feedback/comments on the draft rules in a rule wise manner may be submitted by email to itrules.consultation@meity.gov.in.

The draft can be read here.