‘A very deeply divisive, disruptive phenomenon,’ Rajeev Chandrashekhar on deepfake problem

According to the Union minister, social media users should not only blame the platforms for becoming deepfake victims but also be careful of their behaviour on these platforms

After the recent increase in cases of deepfake content going viral on social media, the government has decided to take measures to regulate this menace.

In an exclusive interview with Moneycontrol, Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrashekhar spoke about how deepfake has become a growing concern for the younger generation. "Misinformation, which we thought... the real threat to Gen Zs around the world. They will have to really worry about what they are consuming,” he said.

He also addressed the extent to which social media platforms are responsible for it. "It is also important for the users to have much more louder expectations from these platforms... it is the platform's job to ensure that the content is authentic."

However, according to him, social media users should not only blame the platforms for becoming deepfake victims but also be careful of their own behaviour on these platforms. He said, "If you chose to turn your private life into a public square... and you become a victim of deepfake... while you can blame the platform and you should blame the platform, but you also have your own personal behaviour to blame."

Also Read: All you need to know about how the government is planning to regulate deepfakes

Recently, the minister held a meeting to discuss regulatory paths for dealing with deepfakes. The government has stated that it will create a system for users to raise concerns against deepfakes and that it can assist dissatisfied users in filing FIRs against social media platforms.

In order to address the hosting of deepfakes on these platforms, Chandrasekhar had earlier stated during his meeting with the social media platforms that the government will give them seven days to comply with their terms of service and other policies with Indian laws and regulations. "We expect without any ambiguity... we certainly insist that they comply,” he added.