Indian Govt Cracks Down On Deepfakes; Has This Warning For Social Media Companies

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posted on 11 months ago — updated on 1 second ago

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Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar informed social media platforms about the decision after a meeting on deepfakes.

To address the issue of deepfakes and other potential user harms linked to Artificial Intelligence (AI) in India, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) announced that social media companies have seven days to align their terms of service and other policies with Indian laws and regulations.

Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar informed social media platforms about the decision after a meeting on deepfakes. He mentioned that content violating Rule 3(1)(b) of the current IT Rules, which requires removal of specific content within 36 hours of user complaints, could face action.

On Deep fake issue, MoS Electronics & Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar says, “We have further informed the platforms that from today onwards, MeitY and the Government of India will nominate a Rule Seven officer and will take a 100% compliance expectation from all the platforms…… pic.twitter.com/p4k7UgMYbL— ANI (@ANI) November 24, 2023

Chandrasekhar also informed social media platforms that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), under Indian government will designate a Rule Seven officer.

“The expectation is set at a 100 per cent compliance rate from all platforms. This compliance measure extends to various categories of prohibited content on the Indian internet, encompassing concerns such as deepfakes and Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM),” the Minister said.

He mentioned that the Rule Seven officer will be responsible for creating a user-friendly platform where citizens can easily report instances of law violations by platforms. The Rule Seven officer will use this digital platform information to address reported issues promptly, simplifying the process for citizens to bring violations to the government’s attention.

Speaking exclusively to CNN-NEWS18, Chandrasekhar said that the government amended the IT Act in October 2022, and even earlier in May 2021, to introduce Rule 3(1)(b). This rule holds social media platforms legally responsible for ensuring that their platforms are free from fake information, including deepfakes.

Platforms need to clearly inform their users that creating certain types of content is not allowed, In today’s meeting, platforms agreed that current rules and laws do not allow deepfakes, the Union Minister said.