Government to assign officers to look into deepfakes on online platforms

The government is looking to assign officers to deep dive into the deepfake menace on online platforms, government sources told India Today. Government will also assist citizens in filing FIRs against social media platforms as and when when citizens see fake content, according to the sources.

On the deepfake issue, MoS Electronics & Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar said, "We have raised the issue of deepfakes with them... I reminded them that way back from October 2022, the government of India has been alerting them to the threat of misinformation and Deepfakes, which are part of misinformation."

"The intermediaries today all agreed that the current IT rules under the IT Act provide for adequate compliance requirements on their part to deal with Deep Fake, even as we speak to future regulations and a future law, which is certainly required, given that our IT Act is 23 years old, he added.

"It was emphasised to them again, to which they have agreed that the current law and the current act and the current rules provide for compliance requirements by the platforms on misinformation, patently false information and Deepfakes. This has been agreed to by the platforms. I have urged them today and have said that we will follow it up with an advisory and a directive that all platforms must align and transform their terms of use with their users to be consistent with the twelve areas that are prohibited on the Indian Internet and the platforms have agreed in seven days to ensure that harmonisation and that alignment so that every user on every platform is aware that when they use a platform, the platform intends to be a safe and trusted platform," Chandrasekhar said.

IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw convened with social media platforms to address the issue earlier this week, highlighting deepfakes as a newfound threat to democracy. He announced impending regulations to combat this menace.

The minister stressed the consensus among companies on the necessity for decisive actions in detection, prevention, fortifying reporting mechanisms, and enhancing user awareness.

On Thursday, the Delhi Police revealed progress in their investigation regarding the deepfake video featuring actor Rashmika Mandanna, citing crucial leads under scrutiny through technical analysis. Officials engaged in technical scrutiny are actively tracing all IP addresses linked to the video's upload, aiming to pinpoint the original upload source, as per an official statement to PTI. The viral video depicts a woman attired in a black workout onesie inside an elevator, digitally altered through AI to resemble Mandanna.

Hemant Tiwari, Deputy Commissioner of Police (IFSO, Special Cell), confirmed that they had significant leads and assured imminent arrests of the culprits. The Delhi Police's Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) filed an FIR on November 11 against unidentified individuals following a notice from the Delhi Commission for Women.