Take action on deepfakes: MeitY sends advisory to social media firms

Screengrab from video shared by Zara Patel (L), and a deepfake featuring Rashmika Mandanna (R)

Days after actor Rashmika Mandanna's morphed video went viral on social media platforms, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) sent advisory to such firms on November 7, reminding them that they are legally obliged under IT Act 2000 and IT Rules 2021, to remove such content from their platforms, sources said.

Deepfake is a piece of technology that leverages AI to alter a person's appearance, voice, or actions in a way that can be realistic and challenging to discern from authentic, unaltered content.

In the advisory that were sent to social media firms, the government has invoked Section 66 D of Information Technology Act, 2000 and Rule 3(1) (b) of the IT Rules and reminded platforms that they are obliged to remove such content within stipulated timeframes, as mentioned under these regulations.

While confirming the development, Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar said, "Given the significant challenges posed by misinformation and deepfakes, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) has issued a second advisory within the last six months, calling upon online platforms to take decisive actions against the spread of deepfakes."

"Deepfakes are a major violation and harm women in particular. Our Government takes the responsibility of safety & trust of all nagriks (sic) very very seriously, and more so about our children and women who are targeted by such content," he added in a statement.

Chandrasekhar reminded that it is the legal obligation for online platforms to prevent the spread of misinformation by any user under the Information Technology (IT) rules, 2021.

"They are further mandated to remove such content within 36 hours upon receiving a report from either a user or government authority. Failure to comply with this requirement invokes Rule 7, which empowers aggrieved individuals to take platforms to court under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). It is imperative that platforms take proactive measures to combat this threat," he added.

"For those who find themselves impacted by deepfakes, I strongly encourage you to file First Information Reports (FIRs) at your nearest police station and avail the remedies provided under the Information Technology (IT) rules, 2021," he said.

On November 6, Chandrasekhar had taken to X (formerly Twitter), to reiterate that under IT Rules, platforms will have to ensure no misinformation is posted by any user, and that such misinformation, if reported by any user, be removed from the platform within 36 hours.