Technology and Media Quarterly Milestones (January-March 2025)

Partner: Jaideep Reddy, Senior Associate: Akshaya Parthasarathy, Associate: Shravya Basgula Devaraj, Consultant: Hatim M Hussain

Key Developments

Government expands the application of Aadhaar authentication to boost public services and innovation

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) notified the Aadhaar Authentication for Good Governance (Social Welfare, Innovation, Knowledge) Amendment Rules, 2025, expanding the use of Aadhaar authentication by government and private entities, among other things, to promote residents’ ease of living and enable better access to services. Previously, Aadhaar was used to access government subsidies, benefits, and services. With this amendment, both government and non-government entities can now use Aadhaar authentication to improve service delivery. The press release accompanying the rules suggests the ability for Aadhaar authentication to be potentially used for services like e-commerce, travel, tourism, hospitality, and health. Government departments and private organisations proposing to implement Aadhaar authentication for providing any service must submit a proposal to the appropriate authorities in the prescribed manner, based on which the Unique Identification Authority of India will determine if the proposed use case is acceptable.

Draft Digital Personal Data Protection Rules released for public consultation

On 3 January 2025, the central government released the draft Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025 (DPDP Rules), under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, for public consultation. The draft rules indicate how the government seeks to operationalise India’s new umbrella privacy law. (To read our detailed update on the draft DPDP Rules, click here.)

Tamil Nadu introduces online real money gaming regulations

Tamil Nadu notified the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Act, 2022) in April 2023 and subsequently established the Tamil Nadu Online Gaming Authority. (To read our detailed update on the Act, click here.)

On 7 February 2025, the gaming authority issued the Tamil Nadu Online Gaming Authority (Real Money Games) Regulations, 2025, imposing several restrictions on online real-money games in which users make a deposit in cash or kind, expecting to win cash or kind based on their performance in the game. Some key regulations are:

1. prohibition on minors playing such games;

2. mandatory know-your-customer (KYC) verification to create an account to play these games;

3. mandatory display of pop-up cautionary messages every half an hour if a player continuously plays the game for over an hour; and

4. mandatory ‘blank hours’ from midnight to 5 am IST, where no login will be allowed.

Although the regulations are currently being challenged before the Madras High Court, interim relief has been denied to gaming companies that have contested their enforcement. Therefore, online real money game developers and gaming intermediaries that want to serve customers in Tamil Nadu must continue to comply with these regulations.

In addition to the above developments, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting issued another advisory to over-the-top (OTT) and social media platforms reiterating the guidelines issued under India’s information technology laws and compliance obligations under various other laws. In the coming months, organisations across sectors should look out for the finalisation of the DPDP Rules and the implementation of the new data protection law.

As regulatory expectations evolve—from digital identity to content moderation and data protection—businesses must adapt swiftly to ensure compliance and build long-term trust in India’s digital economy.

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