ELP Podcast Series – GST Issues In The Hospitality Sector

Instagram's 2026 policy shift introduces mandatory AI-generated profile labels and penalties for non-disclosure, creating new compliance challenges at the intersection of platform governance and India's statutory framework for synthetically generated information. How do these overlapping regimes affect brands, influencers, and content creators operating in India's digital ecosystem?

On 31 August 2026, Instagram renamed its “AI creator” badge as the “AI-generated profile” label and announced that accounts featuring an AI-generated person without the label may see their reach limited. Seven weeks on, the question I hear most from clients, whether they are brands, agencies or individual creators, is a fair one: is this merely a platform housekeeping matter, or does it carry legal consequences in India?

India's telecom sector took a bold step in October 2025 when the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) approved the rollout of the Calling Name Presentation (CNAP) system.

The Delhi High Court's landmark ruling in Telegram FZ LLC v. Union of India addresses whether Section 69A of the IT Act permits the government to block an entire platform rather than specific content. Following the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak scandal, where fraudulent channels circulated fake exam papers affecting millions of aspirants, the court upheld the Centre's power to impose a platform-wide ban on Telegram, sparking intense debate about the boundaries between examination integrity and digital censorship.

The Act, the Rules and the OGAI are therefore simultaneously operational. The prohibition provisions under Chapter III of the Act, the criminal penalties under Chapter V of the Act and the institutional framework under the Rules are all in effect. There is effectively no formal compliance window for core prohibitions and penalties; stakeholders should treat the regime as immediately operational and adjust business models without delay.

On February 10, 2026, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology ("MeitY") notified the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules...

The Internet age has provided us a new medium to express ourselves. But the misuse of this technology is rampant.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology notified amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 on February 10, 2026, introducing mandatory labelling for synthetically generated information and accelerated takedown timelines.

India's online gaming sector has moved from a fragmented regime of state gambling laws and court-led 'skill versus chance' jurisprudence to a central, stakes-based statutory framework.

In mid-September 2026, government sources said Meta Platforms’ Indian operations, Facebook, Instagram and Threads, should no longer be viewed merely as an “internet intermediary” but should also be treated as a “service provider,” arguing that the company’s monetised algorithms actively decide what content gets amplified, distributed and shown to whom. That is a government position, not a new statutory classification, and this article returns to that distinction below.