IT Ministry pulls up social media firms over enforcement of rules to curb deepfakes

“At today’s meeting, I pulled up the Internet platform companies for not having their terms of use aligned with the Information Technology Rules. They have not made it clear and explicit to their users about what can and can not be posted on their platforms,” Chandrasekhar told The Indian Express.

This inaction has led the government to nominate an officer to create a mechanism for verifying platforms’ compliance with the rules, and issue notices warning them of losing their legal immunity from user-generated content. This officer will also assist aggrieved users to file FIRs in cases related to deepfakes, Chandrasekhar said.

“The platforms need to display the prohibited types of content including deepfakes very clearly and visibly immediately,” Chandrasekhar said. The IT Rules prohibit platforms from hosting deepfakes, misinformation, and content that spreads obscenity, among other things.

Chandrasekhar said the companies must raise awareness of the rules by reminding users every time they log in that they cannot post such content, or by issuing reminders.

He said that while new rules are needed for curbing deepfakes, current rules offer enough regulatory teeth to deter such content. On Thursday, Vaishnaw had said that the government will come up with regulations to control the spread of such content on social media platforms.

Last Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said it is important to understand how AI works as it could be used to create deepfakes to purposefully spread false information or have malicious intent behind their use.

Several deepfake videos targeting leading actors have gone viral on social media platforms in the recent past, sparking public outrage and raising concerns over the misuse of technology for creating fake narratives.

Advertisements and sponsored posts on social media have been found to contain deepfakes of people like Shahrukh Khan, Virat Kohli and Akshay Kumar. While Shah Rukh Khan is seen in a deepfake video for a game called Aviator, Virat Kohli’s deepfake is in a video promoting a betting game.