What is the law for deepfakes in India?
Users are prohibited from hosting any information or content that includes Deep Fakes. Upon receiving a report, it is mandatory to promptly remove such content within 36 hours. It is crucial to take immediate action, well within the timeframes specified in the IT Rules 2021, and disable access to the content or information.
According to reports, the government had another meeting with social media platforms on Tuesday to assess the progress they have made in addressing the deepfake problem. Platforms have received clear instructions that the 11 'user harms' or 'illegalities' identified in the IT rules are also linked to corresponding provisions in the Indian Penal Code (IPC). This means that there are criminal consequences even under the existing laws.
It's worth noting that Minister of State for IT and Electronics Rajeev Chandrasekhar had a meeting with social media platforms' representatives on November 24. The companies were given a week to take decisive action on deepfakes and update their terms of use under the IT rules.
Sources have reported that there was a second meeting on Tuesday with social media platforms to evaluate the advancements made since the initial meeting on November 24. A recent report by news agency PTI states that while some social media companies have complied, others have been "slow" in doing so and have been granted extra time. In a meeting held on Tuesday, the Centre emphasized its commitment to a "zero tolerance approach" towards user harm. The firms were explicitly informed during the meeting that there are legal repercussions for such harm, which are already covered by existing laws.
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According to reports, a meeting will be held in one week to assess the situation with the platforms. The regulations and legislation in the field of information technology clearly state that platforms must address any harmful content and ensure that users are fully informed about what is considered illegal. The responsibility for ensuring this lies solely with the platforms. In the meeting on Tuesday, the platforms were informed that there are legal consequences for any harm caused by users, which are already outlined in the existing laws.
Deepfakes are a type of manipulated media that has been digitally altered to convincingly misrepresent or impersonate individuals, utilizing artificial intelligence techniques. In recent times, numerous 'deepfake' videos featuring prominent actors gained widespread attention, causing public outrage and highlighting apprehensions regarding the potential misuse of technology and tools to create deceptive content and false narrative
(With Input from agencies)
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