Alright, fam, listen up! The Indian government is done playing “yeh real hai ya reel?” with your feeds and is officially about to slap ‘AI’ stickers on anything synthetic. Yep, MeitY is floating draft IT Rules that want deepfakes labeled loud and clear, think ‘Masala’ packets, but for viral videos. Is your favorite reel actually real? Now you’ll know. And guess what, public feedback is open till November 6, 2025. Toh ab bolne ka time, internet waalon!
1. Spot The ‘Masala’ – What’s Actually Being Proposed?
Picture this: Every time you scroll past a sus-looking vid, there’s a giant ‘AI’ watermark screaming “Not Today, Satan.” The draft amendments say all AI content must be visibly labeled, at least 10% of the visual must show it, or play an identifier sound in the first 10% of any audio. Permanent metadata (a.k.a. chhota Bhidu you can’t remove) is a must. Social media giants (with more than 5M users, so, everyone you know) need uploaders to come clean if their post is AI-generated, plus double-check using tech. MeitY’s note goes full dimaag ka dahi, spelling out what counts as “synthetically generated information” and setting the comment deadline at November 6, 2025. Basically, it’s like labeling your Maggi as extra chatpata—only, this time, it’s about your memes.
Image courtesy The Hindu
2. Deepfakes Gone Wild – Why Now? (Aur abhi kyon?)
There’s a simple reason: Stuff’s getting wild. With elections, celeb deepfake scandals, and straight-up scam season, courts are freaking out. The Bombay High Court just ordered emergency takedowns of deepfakes mimicking Bollywood royalty, calling them a threat to public order. And with a whopping 886 million internet users (and growing!), even a “chota sa” percentage of people bamboozled equals millions. India’s proposed 10% visibility benchmark is next-level, one of the first exact standards worldwide. Kal ko mere naam pe loan bhi nikal diya toh?
3. Platforms, Assemble — Tech Bros, Brace Yourselves
If you own a garage startup or just finished your “Silicon Valley is my playground” LinkedIn post, better pay attention. Platforms now need to bake in auto-labeling, permanent ID tags, AND force users to come clean if their post is AI-ized. Miss a step, and you’re in due diligence trouble with the government. There’s also a push for full transparency, especially for takedowns, no ghost bans, only chits with proper sarkari signatures. Considering India is a top market for GenAI apps (OpenAI says it’s their second biggest user base maybe add ‘Chief Label Officer’ to your LinkedIn ASAP, bhai.
4. Kya Badlega Tere Liye — What Changes For You (haath ka kaam)
Say hi to more ‘AI’ stamps chilling on your reels, clearer “not real” disclaimers, and a lot less jump-scare misinformation. Any AI audio or video will now wear its origins on its sleeve (or speakers), from the first second itself, as platforms can’t quietly remove the tags. And if you’re making mad Dehati deepfakes or uploading synthesized memes, you’ll be asked to officially declare it; lying = major risk for both you and the platform. But don’t worry, this isn’t Modi-style censorship, it’s traceability and transparency—so you don’t get catfished by pixels. We’re pro-innovation, anti-jump-scare misinformation!
5. Your Turn: How To Weigh In Before Nov 6
This is your SOP moment, public feedback runs till November 6, 2025, so time to take your opinions from group chat to the government inbox. Want memes safe but not annoying? Tell them: regional languages, creators getting easy workflows, watermarks that don’t kill the fun, and actual consequences for non-consensual deepfakes. Pro tip: Ask for regular AI transparency reports (numbers, not just vibes). Comment kar, country ka SOP ban raha hai!
Image courtesy Future of Privacy Forum
Aakhir Mein—Your Meme, Your Rules, Your India
Look, India doesn’t want to kill the AI party, it just wants to keep your WhatsApp groups safe from viral bakwaas. Labels and metadata aren’t creativity ki dushman; they just might save your dignity (and maasi’s stress levels) from the next deepfake circus. So, should the ‘AI’ label be bold AF or low-key? What do you think?