Deepfakes: Government advises social media platforms to curb malicious ‘synthetic media’

The IT Ministry has conducted multiple consultations with industry stakeholders/social media platforms to discuss the challenges identified in combating deepfakes and has issued advisories time to time, through which the intermediaries were reminded about compliance with their due-diligence obligations outlined under the IT Rules, 2021

New Delhi: In an effort to address the harms and criminalities being committed through widespread circulation of misinformation and deepfakes powered by AI, the government has once again advised social media platforms on countering unlawful content, including malicious “synthetic media” to curb deepfakes and promptly remove harmful content online.

The IT Ministry has conducted multiple consultations with industry stakeholders/social media platforms to discuss the challenges identified in combating deepfakes and has issued advisories time to time, through which the intermediaries were reminded about compliance with their due-diligence obligations outlined under the IT Rules, 2021.

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“The policies are aimed at ensuring a safe, trusted, and accountable cyberspace for users in the country,” said Minister of State for Electronics and IT Jitin Prasada in a written reply to Rajya Sabha.

The IT Act provides for punishment for various offences considered as cybercrimes such as identity theft, cheating by personation, violation of privacy, publishing/transmitting material that is obscene/ containing sexually explicit acts, etc., depicting children in sexually explicit acts/transmitting/ browsing child sexual abuse material, etc.

The IT Act and the rules made apply to any information that is generated using Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools or any other technology and those which are generated by users themselves for the purpose of defining offences.

To protect users in India and the Indian internet at large from the emerging harms emanating from the misuse of technologies including AI and to ensure accountability towards the law of the land, MeitY regularly engages with and receives inputs from the industry for promoting the ethical use of technologies.

The IT Rules, 2021 casts specific obligations on intermediaries, including social media intermediaries to not host, store or publish any information violative of any law.

“They are also obligated to ensure their accountability that includes their expeditious action towards removal of the unlawful information categorised under the IT Rules, 2021 as notified by the appropriate government’s or on the basis of grievances received against any unlawful information,” according to the ministry.

Where any information is categorised as unlawful under the IT Rules, 2021, any user may make a request to the Grievance Officer of the concerned intermediary on whose platform such unlawful information is made available to the public. Upon receipt of such a request, the intermediary is required to act expeditiously within the timelines prescribed under the IT Rules, 2021.

Also, under the IT Rules, 2021, the Government has established Grievance Appellate Committees to allow users and victims to appeal online on www.gac.gov.in against decisions taken by the Grievance Officers of intermediaries in case they are dissatisfied with the decision of the Grievance Officer, said the minister.

The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) also issues alerts and advisories regarding the latest cyber threats/vulnerabilities, including malicious attacks using Artificial Intelligence and countermeasures to protect computers, networks, and data on an ongoing basis.