Tech Law Forum

Category: Intermediary Liability

When Old Photographs Become Fake News: The Legal Questions in BAI v. Union of India

September 16, 2026

Intermediary Liability, IT Rules, 2021, Misinformation

What happens when fabricated news is amplified through digital platforms? Examining a recent Delhi High Court matter, this piece explores India’s legal response to misinformation, the role of intermediaries, and the need to move beyond takedowns towards more effective institutional accountability. IN A RECENTLY CONCLUDED MATTER, the Badminton Association of India (“BAI”) moved the…
The Taxed Stake: How PROGA 2025 Creates a Paradox for In-Game NFTs and Play-to-Earn Tokens

August 5, 2026

Data Privacy, Data Protection, Gaming Law, Intermediary Liability

[Alok Singh and Satvik Kapoor are third-year law students at Dr Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University, Lucknow. In this piece, the authors interrogate the statutory tension between the newly enacted Online Gaming Act, 2025, which criminalises in-game NFTs and play-to-earn tokens as “other stakes”, and the Income Tax Act, 2025, which simultaneously taxes these…
Pixelated Perjury: Addressing India’s Regulatory Gaps in Tackling Deepfakes

December 18, 2025

Data Protection, Intermediary Liability, Uncategorized

[This article has been authored by Isha Katiyar, a fourth-year B.Com. LL.B. (Hons.) student at Gujarat National Law University, Gandhinagar. It examines India’s legal framework for addressing deepfakes, highlighting gaps in the IT Act, BNS, and DPDP Act that fail to define or effectively regulate AI-generated media. The author proposes a comprehensive policy roadmap including…
The Fate of Section 230 vis-a-vis Gonzalez v. Google: A Case of Looming Legal Liability

June 1, 2023

Freedom of Speech, Intermediary Liability, Internet Freedoms, Internet Governance, Uncategorized

[This article is authored by Harshitha Adari and Akarshi Narain, 2nd year students at the NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad. It analyses the arguments in Gonzalez v. Google, a case that came before the United States Supreme Court, in the context of the judgment’s consequences on Internet free speech.] Section 230 of the Communications Decency…
The Conundrum over the legal status of search engines in India: Whether they are Significant Social Media Intermediaries under IT Rules, 2021? (Part II)

February 13, 2023

Intermediary Liability, Social Media

[This is the second part of a two-part article authored by Saurav Kumar, a third-year student from Dr. RML National Law University, Lucknow. The first part can be found here.] Arguments Submitted by Google Google views itself as an “aggregator,” primarily distinct from SMIs, and as such, views itself as outside the scope of…
The Conundrum over the legal status of search engines in India: Whether they are Significant Social Media Intermediaries under IT Rules, 2021? (Part I)

February 13, 2023

Intermediary Liability, Social Media

[This is the first part of a two-part article authored by Saurav Kumar, a third-year student from Dr. RML National Law University, Lucknow. The second part can be found here.] Introduction On February 25th, 2021, the government of India published the new Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (“the IT…
IT AMENDMENT RULES 2022: An Analysis of What’s Changed

November 25, 2022

Censorship, Data Protection, Freedom of Speech, Intermediary Liability, Internet Freedoms, Internet Governance, OTT, Privacy, Right to Privacy, Right to Privacy, Social Media, Surveillance, Technology, TLF Explainers, TLF Updates

[This post is authored by Sohina Pawah, a second-year student at the NALSAR University of Law, who is also an Editor for the TLF] INTRODUCTION Back in June 2022, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (“MeitY”) had first released the proposed amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021…
Traversing the Contours of Safe Harbour: Comparison of India and US (Part II)

July 12, 2022

Intermediary Liability, Internet Governance

This is the second part of a two-part post authored by Kavya Jha and Ananya Singh, fourth-year law students at RGNUL, Punjab. The first part can be found here. In light of the ongoing attempts to provide intermediaries with the right degree of protection, this essay seeks to juxtapose the Indian approach to safe harbour…
Traversing the Contours of Safe Harbour: Comparison of India and US (Part I)

July 7, 2022

Intermediary Liability, Internet Governance

This is the first part of a two-part post authored by Kavya Jha and Ananya Singh, fourth-year law students at RGNUL, Punjab. In light of the ongoing attempts to provide intermediaries with the right degree of protection, this essay seeks to juxtapose the Indian approach to safe harbour protection with the American approach. It…
Fighting “Unlawful” Content: Moderation and the New Intermediary Guidelines

May 6, 2021

Intermediary Liability, Internet Freedoms, Internet Governance, Regulation, Social Media

[This post has been authored by Sanjana L.B., a 4th year student at Symbiosis Law School, Hyderabad.] Introduction In January 2021, India had the highest number of Facebook users at 320 million. This was followed by the United States of America (“USA”), with 190 million users. As of February 2021, about 53.1% of the population…