New Delhi, February 26 – In a strong push for equity in the digital space, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw called on social media platforms to ensure fair revenue sharing with content creators. Speaking on Thursday, he emphasized that journalists, traditional media houses, influencers, professors, and researchers all deserve their rightful cut from the earnings generated on these platforms.
Vaishnaw highlighted the diverse range of creators contributing valuable content, from professional news reporters to remote-area innovators and academic experts sharing their research. ‘These individuals fuel the digital ecosystem, and platforms must distribute revenues justly,’ he stated.
The minister underscored the need for a universal principle of fair revenue sharing across the entire digital landscape. Platforms reap massive benefits from user-generated content, he noted, making it imperative for creators to receive transparent and equitable compensation.
This appeal comes amid heightened government scrutiny on digital accountability. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has proposed amendments to the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, targeting deepfakes and AI-generated misleading content.
Under the draft rules, platforms must label synthetic content clearly, embedding permanent metadata or identifiers. Major social media intermediaries (SSMIs) with over 5 million registered users in India, including Facebook, YouTube, and Snapchat, will be required to mark AI-generated material conspicuously.
For videos and images, identifiers must occupy at least 10% of the visible area, while audio content needs them in the first 10% of duration. Metadata cannot be altered, removed, or suppressed. Non-compliance, such as knowingly hosting unlabeled AI content, will be treated as failure to exercise due diligence under the IT Act.
Vaishnaw’s remarks signal a broader vision for a robust Indian digital content economy, where transparency in revenue models strengthens creator incentives and platform responsibility. As regulations tighten, social media giants face mounting pressure to align business practices with national priorities.