India has implemented stringent new rules requiring social media platforms to remove deepfake content within just three hours of receiving a takedown request. The mandate is part of several updates to India's 2021 IT rules announced this week by the government.

The regulations also require synthetic audio and visual content to be labeled and traceable, and ban deceptive impersonations, non-consensual intimate imagery, and material linked to serious crimes. The new rules put significant compliance pressure on platforms operating in the world's most populous country.

This represents one of the strictest approaches to deepfake regulation globally, putting significant pressure on platforms like Meta, Google, and X that operate in India. The three-hour window for removal is particularly aggressive compared to other jurisdictions.

The move comes as deepfake technology becomes more accessible and incidents of AI-generated misinformation and non-consensual content rise globally. India's approach may serve as a model for other countries grappling with how to regulate rapidly advancing AI technology.