**Executive Summary**
This document is a response to an unstarred question in the Lok Sabha regarding the deployment of AI chatbots and generative tools, specifically concerning the rise of AI-generated content, particularly in the context of gender-based harassment on social media platforms. The response details government policies, the IT Rules, and advisories aimed at ensuring a safe and accountable cyberspace. Key actions involve legal obligations for intermediaries, and the Ministry's work on the IT Rules, which includes draft amendments released on October 22, 2025.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Government Policy Objectives:**
* Aims to ensure an open, safe, trusted, and accountable cyberspace.
* Recognizes the risks of misuse of digital technologies, including online abuse and harassment of women on social media.
* **Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (“IT Rules”):**
* Notified on 25.02.2021 and amended to address emerging harms from technology misuse, including AI.
* Impose legal obligations on intermediaries, including social media platforms, to ensure users do not host, display, or share unlawful content.
* Requires expeditious removal of unlawful content within stipulated timelines.
* **Obligations for Significant Social Media Intermediaries:**
* Must deploy technology-based measures to prevent the dissemination of unlawful content, including automated tools.
* Required to appoint a Chief Compliance Officer, Resident Grievance Officer, and Nodal Contact Person.
* **Grievance Redressal Mechanism:**
* Users can report prohibited information to the Grievance Officer of the concerned platform.
* Intermediaries must act expeditiously upon receipt of such requests.
* **Advisories to Intermediaries:**
* Issued on 26.12.2023, 15.03.2024, and 29.12.2025 reminding them of due-diligence obligations and advising on countering malicious content, including 'synthetic media' and 'deepfakes'.
* **Consequences of Non-Compliance:**
* Failure to observe legal obligations may result in loss of protection under section 79 of the IT Act, leading to potential liability.
* **Amendments to IT Rules, 2021:**
* Draft amendments published on 22.10.2025 for public consultation to address challenges from synthetically generated information, including deepfakes.
* **Action against Non-Consensual Intimate Imagery:**
* Platforms involved in creating and disseminating non-consensual intimate imagery were directed to cease such services.
* Government has noted the compliance
**Impact Analysis**
**Stakeholder: Social Media Intermediaries**
* **Impact:** Increased legal and operational obligations for content moderation and grievance redressal. They face potential liability for non-compliance.
* **Action Required:** Ensure strict adherence to IT Rules, deploy technology-based measures, appoint required officers, and act expeditiously on grievance requests. They need to monitor and address malicious ‘synthetic media' and 'deepfakes'.
**Stakeholder: Users of Social Media Platforms**
* **Impact:** Enhanced protection against unlawful content, including gender-based harassment, and access to a grievance redressal mechanism.
* **Action Required:** Be aware of available grievance redressal mechanisms and report unlawful content to the platform's Grievance Officer.
**Stakeholder: Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)**
* **Impact:** Responsible for overseeing the implementation and enforcement of the IT Rules and addressing emerging challenges related to AI-generated content.
* **Action Required:** Finalise the amendments to IT Rules, 2021. Monitor and ensure compliance by intermediaries.
Key Entities Referenced
Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021: Rules under the Information Technology Act, 2000 that regulate intermediaries, including social media platforms, and address digital media ethics.
Information Technology Act, 2000: The primary legislation in India governing information technology, including intermediaries' liability.
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology: The Indian government ministry responsible for electronics and information technology policy, including the IT Rules and addressing AI misuse.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 765
TO BE ANSWERED ON: 04.02.2026
DEPLOYMENT OF AI CHATBOTS AND GENERATIVE TOOLS
765. ADV. ADOOR PRAKASH:
SHRI MURARILAL MEENA:
SHRI TANUJ PUNIA:
Will the Minister of ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state:
(a) the number of complaints or grievances received by the Government since January 2025 relating to
gender-based harassment, abuse or targeting facilitated through Artificial Intelligence (AI)-generated
content on social media platforms, platform-wise;
(b) whether the Government maintains disaggregated data on complaints involving AI-enabled tools as
distinct from human-generated content and if so, the details thereof particularly for Rajasthan;
(c) whether the Government has examined the deployment of AI chatbots and generative tools by
intermediaries alters their obligations under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act, 2000 and
the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021;
and
(d) the concrete action plan of the Government to effectively check AI generated misuse, ensure
prompt grievance redressal and safety of users in future?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
(SHRI JITIN PRASADA)
(a) to (d): The policies of Government of India are aimed at ensuring open, safe, trusted and
accountable cyberspace for users in the country.
The Government is cognizant of the risks and harms arising from the misuse of digital technologies
including the misuse of social media platforms for online abuse and harassment of women.
The Government, after extensive public consultations with relevant stakeholders, has notified the
Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (“IT
Rules”) on 25.02.2021 which were subsequently amended from time-to-time to address emerging harms
from misuse of technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The IT Rules cast specific legal obligations on intermediaries, including the social media intermediaries
to make reasonable efforts to ensure that users of their computer resources do not host, display, upload,
modify, publish, transmit, store, update or share any information that is obscene, pornographic,
paedophilic, harmful to child, invasive of privacy, insulting or harassing on the basis of gender orviolates any law for the time being in force. The rules also mandate the expeditious removal of such
unlawful content within the stipulated timelines.
Significant social media intermediaries are additionally required to deploy technology-based measures,
including automated tools or other mechanisms, to proactively prevent the dissemination of unlawful
content (rape, child sexual abuse or conduct) and ensure timely compliance with removal requirements,
appoint Chief Compliance Officer, Resident Grievance Officer and Nodal Contact person.
Where any information falls within the categories prohibited under this Rule, any user may make a
request to the Grievance Officer of the concerned intermediary on whose platform such unlawful
information is made available to the public. Upon receipt of such request, the intermediary must act
expeditiously within the timelines prescribed under IT Rules, 2021.
The Ministry has also issued advisories on 26.12.2023 and 15.03.2024 through which intermediaries
were reminded about their due-diligence obligations outlined under IT Rules, 2021 and advised on
countering unlawful content including malicious ‘synthetic media’ and ‘deepfakes’. A similar advisory
was also issued on 29.12.2025.
Failure of the intermediaries to observe the legal obligations as provided in the IT Rules would entail
loss of protection under section 79 of the IT Act and the intermediaries shall be liable for consequential
action or prosecution as provided under the extant laws.
Recognising the challenges posed by growing misuse of synthetically generated information, including
deepfakes, misinformation, and other unlawful content, the Ministry of Electronics and Information
Technology (MeitY) has published draft amendments to the IT Rules, 2021 for public consultation on
22.10.2025.
Ministry took note of creation and dissemination of non-consensual intimate imagery on certain social
media platforms. Those platforms were directed to immediately cease such services. Government has
noted the compliance.
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