IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has announced an imminent meeting between government officials and major social media platforms to address the escalating concerns surrounding deepfake technology. The minister firmly declared that the protective shield of safe harbour immunity would be revoked if platforms failed to take sufficient measures to combat the spread of deepfakes.
In a statement to reporters, Vaishnaw disclosed that the government had recently issued a notice to companies regarding the deepfake predicament. While acknowledging some efforts made by platforms in response, he stressed the necessity for a more proactive stance in combatting such content.
"They are taking steps...but we think that many more steps will have to be taken. And we are very soon going to have a meeting of all the platforms...Maybe in the next 3-4 days, we'll call them for brainstorming on that and make sure that platforms make adequate efforts for preventing it (deepfakes), and cleaning up their system," Vaishnaw told reporters.
When queried about the participation of major entities like Meta and Google in the impending meeting, the minister confirmed their inclusion.
Crucially, Vaishnaw highlighted that the current safeguard of safe harbour immunity under the IT Act would not shield platforms unless tangible actions were taken to address the deepfake menace.
"The safe harbour clause, which most social media platforms have been enjoying...that does not apply if they do not take adequate steps for removing deepfakes from their platforms," he asserted.
Recent incidents involving 'deepfake' videos targeting prominent personalities have triggered public outrage, amplifying concerns over the misuse of technology to fabricate false narratives.
In a related development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Friday, warned about the potential crisis arising from AI-generated deepfakes. He urged the media to amplify awareness about the perilous misuse of this technology, emphasising the need to educate the populace about its risks.
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