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MIB tells OTT platforms and digital news sites to time-stamp visuals and disclose synthetic media
A nine point advisory dated 2 November cites unnamed instances of non-compliance with the IT Act and also reminds intermediaries of their due diligence duties on synthetically generated content.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has issued an advisory to OTT streaming platforms, digital news publishers and online intermediaries, saying it has observed instances of non-compliance with the Information Technology Act, 2000 and its Rules by various digital news publishers and OTT platforms. The advisory, numbered DM/40/2026-DM and dated 2 November 2026, is signed by Deputy Secretary Arpitha S and was copied to all self-regulatory bodies registered under the IT Rules, 2021. It does not say which publishers fell short or which provisions they broke, a gap MediaNama flagged in its reading of the document.
The first and most practical point is about old footage passed off as new. The ministry says unrelated and old videos have been circulated as if they were from recent events, and advises, as a best practice, that digital news publishers time-stamp the original date, location and context on all visuals before publishing. Where a clip comes from outside, including social media, the source should be named along with the time-stamp. Date and time stamps are also encouraged for coverage of crime, violence, disasters and major accidents, so that archive footage is not mistaken for live pictures.
The rest of the list covers editorial conduct. Live coverage of anti-terrorist operations is discouraged, with publishers asked to avoid real-time disclosure of tactical positions, troop movements or access routes and to rely on periodic official briefings until an operation ends. Violent or disturbing visuals should be blurred or masked where warranted, headlines and thumbnails should not misrepresent events, and only Survey of India maps should be used. Debate and community coverage should keep quotes and translations in context. The one point phrased as an obligation, with the word shall, is protecting the identity of victims of sexual offences in line with the Supreme Court's directions in Nipun Saxena v. Union of India.
On artificial intelligence, digital news publishers are advised to take reasonable steps to verify AI generated or materially altered photos, videos and audio, to disclose when synthetic content is shown in connection with real people or events, and to guard against misleading representations of authentic footage or statements. Intermediaries, which can include social media platforms, are separately asked to follow their due diligence duties under Section 79 of the IT Act and Rules 3, 4 and 5 of the IT Rules, 2021, with particular attention to the provisions on synthetically generated information in Rules 3(3) and 4(1A). The ministry also encourages workshops and training so that staff who create and publish content know the law.
Most of the advisory uses the language of advice and best practice rather than new binding rules, and it names no penalty. MediaNama notes that it follows two MeitY advisories in October, one on false or manipulated content and one asking Meta to check its recommendation systems, and it arrives in the same week that safe harbour for algorithm-driven platforms came under debate, covered earlier on bharat.digital. For newsrooms and streaming services, the immediate task is operational: labelling archive and third-party visuals with date, place and source, and putting a check in place for AI-made media.
