Govt Reviews Social Media Platforms Progress On Curbing Deepfakes

In a significant development, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar convened a meeting with representatives from various social media platforms on Tuesday to assess their progress in combating misinformation and deepfake content. The Minister of State for IT and Electronics emphasized that within the next two days, advisories will be issued to ensure 100 percent compliance by these platforms.

Chandrasekhar, sharing insights on the meeting through a p Most on X, mentioned, "Held the 2nd #DigitalIndiaDialogues on Misinformation and #Deepfakes with intermediaries today, to review the progress made since the Nov 24 meeting. Many platforms are responding to the decisions taken last month, and advisories on ensuring 100 percent compliance will be issued in the next 2 days."

Sources indicate that the government took a stern stance during the meeting, clearly communicating to digital platforms that 11 identified "user harms" or "illegalities" under the IT Rules correspond to equivalent provisions in the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Consequently, criminal consequences could follow even under existing laws.

Following the November 24 meeting, where platforms were given a seven-day ultimatum to address deepfake issues and align their terms of use with IT Rules, some platforms have demonstrated compliance. Those deemed "slow" in taking action have been granted additional time. The government, however, reiterated its "zero tolerance approach" towards user harm resulting from misinformation and deepfakes.

A final assessment meeting with platforms is scheduled to take place in seven days, where the government will gauge the effectiveness of the measures taken.

Under the current IT Rules and Act, platforms bear the responsibility of tackling harm and ensuring users are aware of what constitutes illegal content. During the recent meeting, platforms were explicitly informed about the criminal consequences tied to user harms, even under existing laws.

Highlighting the urgency of the matter, sources pointed out that criminal prosecution for deepfakes falls under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CRPC) section related to "forgery." Similar provisions exist for other forms of harm under the IPC.

The government aims to review in seven days whether advisories will suffice or if new or amended rules are necessary. If required, a more stringent set of rules focusing on enforcement and deterrence against platform abuse may be introduced.

Deepfakes, referring to digitally manipulated media using artificial intelligence, have become a growing concern. Recent incidents involving 'deepfake' videos targeting prominent figures have prompted public outrage and raised alarms about the potential misuse of technology for creating manipulated content.

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