‘Chilling Effect’ on Creators: Press Club Slams IT Rules Draft

The Press Club of India on Saturday called for the complete withdrawal of the draft Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Second Amendment Rules, 2026, warning that the proposed changes could harm independent creators and restrict free expression.In a resolution dated April 11, the body said the draft rules would disproportionately impact individual content creators. “The worst hit are the independent creators and freelancers who operate solo podcasts, newsletters or have YouTube channels as the compliance framework of the draft IT Rules 2026 is financially terminal for them besides creating a ‘chilling effect’ where creators may self-censor to avoid any risk of algorithmic misidentification.”Raising

concerns over content regulation, the resolution urged the government to follow due process before blocking or taking down content. “The Government of India must strictly follow the procedural safeguards laid down under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000 (IT Act, 2000), before issuing blocking/takedown orders,” it said, citing the Supreme Court’s ruling in Shreya Singhal vs Union of India.

The body also demanded rollback of expanded powers granted to agencies. “Government must withdraw all delegated powers under Section 69A of the Act, 2000, to various agencies, which have completely steamrolled the procedural safeguards under the said section.”It further opposed recent changes reducing the content takedown timeline. “RESOLVE that the compression of timeline for intermediaries from 36 hours to three hours… must be withdrawn,” it said, adding such measures risk undermining legal protections.The resolution also called for scrapping provisions enabling blocking of content without accountability and halting the operation of the Sahyog portal. “The draconian operation of the Sahyog portal… must be halted with immediate effect.”Finally, the Press Club urged wider consultation before introducing laws affecting media freedom.

The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2026 are changes to India’s existing IT Rules, 2021 aimed at regulating online platforms and digital content, especially with the rise of artificial intelligence.The amendments focus on “synthetically generated information” (SGI), such as deepfakes, AI-generated videos, images and voice content that appear real. They introduce new definitions and require platforms to identify, label and track such content. Intermediaries like social media companies must deploy technical tools to prevent unlawful synthetic content, including impersonation, misinformation, and non-consensual explicit material.The rules also tighten compliance timelines. Platforms must act faster on complaints, with content takedowns required within hours in certain cases. Grievance redressal timelines have been shortened, and users must be regularly informed about platform rules and consequences of violations.Additionally, stricter obligations are placed on large platforms, requiring verification of whether content is AI-generated and ensuring clear labelling.