India proposes extending IT rules to influencers posting news content

Influencers in India could face stricter rules on posting about news and current affairs under new government proposals.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has proposed amendments to India's IT rules that would bring creators who are not registered publishers under the same code of ethics applied to digital news outlets.

The changes would apply across platforms including YouTube, X and Facebook, and platforms themselves would face stricter compliance expectations if they want to retain "safe harbour" protections – the legal shield that protects them from liability for user posts. The consultation closes on 14 April.

The move has raised concerns among digital rights groups and creators, who argue the definition of "news and current affairs" could be interpreted broadly and accelerate a shift towards self-censorship.

It builds on a series of recent regulatory changes in India, where compliance timelines for takedowns have already been tightened and oversight of digital content has steadily increased.

The proposals also sit alongside a broader effort to formalise India's creator economy. As previously reported by The Daily Influence, the government has signalled that platforms may be required to share revenue with creators and announced plans to establish content creator labs across 15,000 schools and 500 colleges.

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