Legal information notice: this article provides general information and isn't a substitute for advice from a qualified lawyer.
A fake photo or video of you — generated or altered using AI to make it look real — is circulating online, whether it’s your face placed on someone else’s body, a fabricated video making it look like you said something you never said, or explicit content that doesn’t actually feature you at all. India recently tightened its legal framework specifically for this, and here’s exactly what you can do.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology notified amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 via Gazette notification on 10 February 2026, effective 20 February 2026. These amendments formally define “synthetically generated information” — content artificially or algorithmically created, generated, modified, or altered using a computer resource in a manner that appears reasonably authentic — and bring it squarely within platform obligations for the first time.
Screenshot or download the content, the account/page that posted it, the URL, and any comments or shares — do this before reporting, since a successful takedown removes your ability to capture it afterward.
Use the platform’s dedicated reporting tool. Under the February 2026 amendments, platforms must act on unlawful synthetic content covered by a valid direction within 3 hours (as little as 2 hours for the most harmful categories) — significantly faster than the general grievance timeline.
Call 1930 or file at cybercrime.gov.in, citing the applicable IT Act and BNS provisions based on the deepfake’s content (explicit, defamatory, identity-based fraud, etc.).
If you can identify who created or is circulating the deepfake, a lawyer’s legal notice demanding removal and warning of the applicable criminal and civil consequences often accelerates resolution.
A civil suit seeking an injunction (to stop further circulation) and damages remains available independent of any criminal complaint, particularly useful where the content keeps resurfacing across platforms.
The mandatory labelling requirement matters even beyond your own case — because platforms offering AI content-generation tools must now permanently label synthetic output, a growing share of deepfakes will carry built-in evidence of their artificial origin, which can materially strengthen both your platform report and any legal complaint. If the content you’re dealing with lacks a label it should legally carry, that absence itself is worth flagging to the platform as a separate compliance failure.
It’s worth understanding that the 3-hour (or 2-hour) fast-track applies specifically to content already found unlawful via a valid court order or government direction — for a fresh report you’re filing directly with a platform, the general grievance timelines (24-hour acknowledgment, 15-day resolution) may apply first, unless the content also falls into the private-area/nudity/impersonation category that separately carries its own 2-hour obligation. In practice, clearly harmful deepfakes are usually actioned quickly by platforms regardless of the precise legal timeline, given the reputational and regulatory risk of not doing so.
If the deepfake is sexually explicit or intimate in nature, treat this with the same urgency as the fastest-track category — Section 67A carries serious criminal penalties for whoever created or shared it, and you’re entitled to the same expedited platform response as genuine non-consensual intimate imagery cases.
| Route | Best For |
|---|---|
| Platform report | Fast removal — now backed by mandatory 2-3 hour takedown windows for the worst cases |
| Cybercrime.gov.in / 1930 | Formal criminal complaint, investigation, and tracing the creator |
| Civil suit | Ongoing/recurring circulation, or seeking monetary damages |
Platform reports go through the app/website’s own tools. Criminal complaints go through cybercrime.gov.in or your local cyber cell. Civil suits are filed before the appropriate civil court.
Platform reporting and filing a cybercrime complaint are both free. A lawyer’s legal notice or civil litigation involves professional fees that scale with the case’s complexity.
Platform reporting and the cybercrime complaint are both designed for direct use without a lawyer. Professional help matters for a legal notice, civil suit, or if the content keeps resurfacing despite repeated takedowns.
Need professional legal help with this?
Find a Lawyer on VidyodayIf the deepfake is being used to threaten or extort you, see our guide on online blackmail. If it’s damaging your broader personal or professional reputation, our guide on online reputation damage covers additional remedies.
Context matters — clearly satirical content may be treated differently, but a deepfake that misrepresents you, causes harm, or is sexually explicit remains illegal regardless of the creator’s stated intent.
You can still report it to the platform and file a cybercrime complaint — investigators have tools to trace content back to its source even when the uploading account is anonymous.
No — the rules are new and compliance is still developing across the industry; treat suspicious content skeptically regardless of whether it carries a label.
Yes — platforms that fail to meet their takedown and labelling obligations under the new rules risk losing their safe harbour protection, which exposes them to greater liability.
Public figures have the same core legal protections against deepfakes, particularly explicit or defamatory content, though courts weigh public interest considerations somewhat differently for their public conduct.
Yes — sharing or transmitting the content can independently trigger liability under the same provisions, particularly for explicit or defamatory deepfakes.
There’s no individual legal right to demand proactive scanning, though larger platforms increasingly deploy detection tools voluntarily given their new regulatory obligations.
The original deepfake file/link, the account that posted it, any metadata available, screenshots with timestamps, and a record of your platform report and its outcome — all of this strengthens both a cybercrime complaint and any civil action.
This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. If the content is sexually explicit or you are being threatened, contact 1930 or the police (100) immediately. Consult a cyber lawyer for guidance specific to your situation.
