56% Indians want deepfake videos removed from social media within 24 hours of complaint: Survey

Fifty-six per cent Indians are of the opinion that a deepfake video circulating on a social media platform should be removed within 24 hours of complaint submission, a survey has found. A deepfake video is a manipulated or synthetic video that is created using artificial intelligence (AI) techniques, making it difficult for a viewer to make out whether they are real or false.

In recent weeks, Indian actors Rashmika Mandanna, Katrina Kaif, Kajol, and Alia Bhatt featured in deepfake short videos that went viral on social media, sparking concerns over the misuse of artificial intelligence. IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw termed deepfakes as a new threat to democracy and said the Centre will come up with new regulations soon to tackle this menace.

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LocalCircles, a community platform, recently conducted a survey to find out how people consume short videos, how common are fake videos, and how they expect the platforms to redress their complaints. "In summary, 43 per cent of Indians surveyed say they watch 3 or more short videos on average each day," the survey found. 

The survey said the problem of fake videos is not small as 3 in 10 Indians surveyed stated that of the videos they watch, they later find "25 per cent or more of them to be fake". 

"In the light of the problem, 56 per cent of Indians surveyed say if a deepfake video of them or their family members is circulating on a social media platform, the platform should be required to remove it within 24 hours of the complaint submission as opposed to the 36 hours proposed by the Government," the survey said. 

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Besides this, people also noted "extremely poor" responses by platforms to user complaints when their social media account gets hacked, according to the survey. "Even after a formal police complaint, it has taken 7-10 days for deactivation (of the account)." 

"While the government has proposed 36 hours for platforms to remove a deepfake video, many as per the survey finding believe that it should be 24 hours," the survey said. 

Last Thursday, the IT minister met social media platforms on the deepfake issue. After the meeting, he said that companies had agreed on the need for clear actionable work in areas such as detection, prevention, strengthening of reporting mechanisms, and raising user awareness.

"We will start drafting regulation today itself, and within a short time we will have a new set of regulations for deepfakes...this could be in the form of amending existing framework or bringing new rules, or new law," Vaishnaw said while speaking to reporters.

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