It Ministry

IT Ministry summons Meta executives over ads promoting CSAM in India

Meta executives meet IT ministry officials over WhatsApp username issue

Meta team meets IT Ministry over username feature, to reply within 3 days

The Centre directed WhatsApp to keep the rollout on hold until consultations are completed "to the satisfaction of the Government"

Time has come to look at separate AI legislation, says IT Secy S Krishnan

India appears set to move towards a dedicated regulatory framework for artificial intelligence, with IT Secretary S Krishnan on Friday saying the time has come to look at a separate AI regulation. Krishnan noted that while existing legal provisions have so far been adequate in addressing initial concerns on issues like deepfakes and AI-generated synthetic content, an "additional regulation or law may be needed". "It is a conversation which has commenced, and my Minister (IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw) and I have both been on record earlier that we will look at AI regulation when the time is right, and it appears that the time is getting right, and we will start looking at it," Krishnan said. He added: "We have used the IT rules, and other provisions of existing law to address various concerns that AI raises, but now, probably the time has come to look at a separate legislation." Asked about the timelines for bringing out a new AI regulation, the IT secretary said: "As Ministry, at a

Username row: After WhatsApp, IT Ministry sends notices to Telegram, Signal

After sending a notice to WhatsApp, the IT Ministry has now sent a notice to Telegram and Signal, raising questions on their existing username feature and asking how the platforms are addressing concerns related to fraud and impersonation, according to a source. Sources said that in the notice to Telegram, the government has asked the platform why it should be allowed to retain the username feature. On Wednesday, the Centre issued a notice to Meta over the username feature on WhatsApp, citing concerns that it could materially increase online fraud, phishing, digital arrest scams, and impersonation attacks. It had also directed WhatsApp to pause the feature until consultations on the issue are completed "to the satisfaction of the Government". The government has now widened its scrutiny to other messaging platforms as well, sources said. Sources told PTI that the IT ministry has also written to Telegram and Signal - which already have the username feature - and asked how concerns .

Govt plans empowered and unified command centre to tackle AI risks

New command centre would be tasked with ensuring timely implementation of the latest cybersecurity measures

Kalshi bars India users after govt crackdown on prediction markets

Platform adds India to restricted jurisdictions as authorities move to block access to prediction market websites

Govt forms high-level inter-ministerial body to steer AI governance plan

A high-level inter-ministerial body, AI Governance and Economic Group, headed by Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, has been constituted to steer the country's national AI governance strategy, an official statement said on Thursday. AI Governance and Economic Group (AIGEG) will coordinate policy across ministries, departments and sectoral regulators and oversee cross-sectoral governance issues. "The AIGEG will operate as the apex inter-ministerial body within India's AI governance institutional framework. It will be supported by a Technology and Policy Expert Committee (TPEC), which will offer expert advisory to the AIGEG on global developments, emerging technologies, risks, regulation and other evolving priorities relating to AI policy and governance," the statement said. The inter-ministerial body will be chaired by the union electronics and IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw whose portfolio spans railways and Information and Broadcasting. Minister of State for Electronics and IT Jiti

Platforms have almost doubled-tripled deepfake takedowns: Vaishnaw

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday highlighted rising concerns over AI-generated deepfakes, and noted that social media platforms, too, have scaled up efforts on deepfake takedowns. The minister termed deepfakes as a new menace and a threat to society. "A lot of content has started coming in the nature of deepfakes. Because of whatever changes have happened in the AI world, a huge quantity of deepfakes have started coming in the social media... the entire world, and the social media platforms themselves have significantly ramped up their efforts at removing the deepfakes," Vaishnaw, who is the minister for IT as well as Information and Broadcasting, told reporters. The platforms themselves have almost doubled or tripled their own takedowns of deepfake content, he added. "It's a new menace, new threat, which is coming for the society," he said, adding that countering it effectively is very important for society, for every individual, and institution.

Govt in talks with tech industry, no impact seen from Iran war: Vaishnaw

The government is in dialogue with hi-tech industry associations on the West Asia conflict and its impact on the ecosystem, and industry bodies have not reported any adverse impact on their operations, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Monday. The Electronics and IT Minister's comments came amid reports that the helium crunch has started impacting global tech supply chains. "We have asked every industry association here, and each one has said that so far there is no impact... This includes semiconductors, mobile, electronics components, and hardware space...It is an evolving situation. So, we will continue interacting with the industry," Vaishnaw told reporters. The industry believes that the West Asia crisis will not be prolonged, he said.

Govt clears 29 electronics component mfg proposals worth ₹7,104 crore

The government has approved 29 applications under the electronics component manufacturing scheme entailing cumulative investment of Rs 7,104 crore, a senior IT ministry official said on Monday. The Ministry of Electronics and IT (Meity) Secretary, S Krishnan, said the fresh investment proposal will create as many as 14,246 new jobs in the segment. The new applications will lead to the production of electronics components worth Rs 84,515 crore, he said. With this new set of approvals, Meity has approved a total of 75 applications.

India trained 85,000 engineers in 4 years under Semicon 2.0: Vaishnaw

Prioritising talent development under the Government of India's Semiconductor Mission, Union Minister for Railways and Electronics & IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw, stated that India has achieved its 10-year target of training 85,000 engineers in semiconductor design in just 4 years.The Minister on Monday informed that world-class Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools, Cadence, Synopsys, and Siemens, have been made available in 315 universities across the country, and with the help of these tools, students are designing actual semiconductor chips, according to a release.These chips are being fabricated and tested at the Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL) in Mohali, giving students hands-on experience across the entire process from design to manufacturing and validation, he said.Vaishnaw further stated that students from universities across the nation, from Assam to Gujarat and from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, are actively engaging in semiconductor design. This marks a significant milestone ...

Govt toughens rules on AI content, mandates 3-hour takedown timeline

From February 20, social media and internet intermediaries must remove unlawful content within three hours and non-consensual intimate imagery within two hours under amended IT rules

Kunal Kamra challenges Sahyog Portal, IT Rules amendment in Bombay HC

Comedian Kunal Kamra has approached the Bombay HC challenging the Centre's Sahyog Portal and amended IT Rules, alleging they enable content blocking without safeguards and violate free speech rights

Meity unhappy with X's reply on Grok misuse, may seek more details

Government may seek additional details on chatbot's role in generating explicit images

Grok objectionable content row: Govt gives X another 72 hours to file reply

Centre gives Elon Musk-owned X 72 more hours to explain how Grok generated objectionable images, seeks detailed technical and governance review

Explicit image row: Meity asks X to review Grok, submit report in 72 hours

X may lose safe harbour if IT ministry not satisfied with the response, say officials

Centre pulls pre-installation mandate for Sanchar Saathi app after backlash

The Ministry of Communications said that given the surge in voluntary downloads of Sanchar Saathi, pre-installation of the app will not be mandatory for manufacturers

Govt to modernise SCL Mohali with Rs 4,500 cr investment: Ashwini Vaishnaw

The government plans to invest Rs 4,500 crore to modernise state-owned chip company Semi-Conductor Laboratory (SCL) over the next three years, union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Friday. Semi-Conductor Laboratory (SCL), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), is the only integrated device manufacturing facility in the country providing end-to-end solutions for the development of Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), opto-electronics devices, and Micro Electro Mechanical System (MEMS) devices. The minister said that the centre has requested the Punjab government for a 25-acre parcel of land to support the expansion. "SCL will be modernised with an investment of Rs 4,500 crore over a period of the next three years," Vaishnaw said at the device handling ceremony here. He said SCL will play a significant role in realising the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for semiconductors and assured that there is no question o

Govt working to shield conventional media amid rapid digitisation: Vaishnaw

The government has planned a series of initiatives to shield the conventional media from the disruptions expected due to rapid digitisation in the sector. Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday said the government plans to remove the regulatory overhang in the radio industry and Television Rating Point (TRP) reforms. "The government is working to remove regulatory barriers wherever they exist," the minister said in an informal interaction with reporters here. Vaishnaw said the ministry is exploring ways to improve the television rating system to ensure fair revenue to television channels from government advertisements. "Television Rating Point (TRP) guidelines are being formulated. The first round of consultation is complete, feedback has been received, and a second consultation paper will be published soon," the minister said. The government is also considering increasing the advertisement rates for print and television media. Vaishnaw said the

DFS, Meity secys among 3 external members of Payments Regulatory Board

The new Payments Regulatory Board, chaired by the RBI governor, will replace BPSS and include government nominees - the DFS secretary, Meity secretary and retired IAS officer Aruna Sundararajan