Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting and Electronics and Information Technology gestures as he speaks during a press conference at Bharat Mandapam, one of the venues for AI Impact Summit, in New Delhi, India, February 17, 2026. PHOTO: REUTERS
India’s information minister said on Tuesday that big tech platforms such as Google’s YouTube, Meta, X and Netflix must operate within the country’s constitutional framework, a week after New Delhi tightened its content-takedown rules.
His comments came on the sidelines of an artificial intelligence summit in Delhi, where top executives from global AI giants will join several world leaders in this week.
“It’s very important for the multinationals to understand the cultural context of the country in which they are operating,” Ashwini Vaishnaw said during a briefing at the India AI Impact Summit.
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Last week, India said social media companies will have to remove unlawful content within three hours of being notified, tightening an earlier 36-hour timeline, in what could be a compliance challenge for Meta, YouTube and X.
There is a need for much stronger regulation on deepfakes, Vaishnaw said, adding that a dialogue has already been initiated with the industry on the issue.
There is mounting global pressure on social media companies to police content more aggressively, with governments from Brussels to Brasilia demanding faster takedowns and greater accountability.
On Tuesday, Spain ordered prosecutors to investigate social media platforms X, Meta and TikTok for allegedly spreading AI-generated child sexual abuse material, as European regulators intensify scrutiny of big tech over harmful and illegal content.
