Fighting Deepfakes: Indian government to meet executives from social media firms, discuss issues

Senior government officials have disclosed that the Union government is set to hold discussions with senior executives from social media and other internet companies this Thursday to address the escalating issue of deepfakes on the internet, as per a report in the Economic Times. The meeting, scheduled between representatives from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and executives from internet firms, is expected to focus on establishing a standard operating procedure (SoP) with guidelines for handling deepfake content. An official familiar with the matter stated, “Deep-fake is classified as impersonation and misinformation under Rule 3(2)(b) of the IT Rules and therefore has detailed provisions on the action to be taken. For the time being, we will come out with an SoP for intermediaries on the action to be taken. The DIA (Digital India Act) may contain detailed provisions on dealing with newer technologies such as deep fake,” while requesting anonymity. Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had previously announced plans to convene with social media and internet intermediaries to devise strategies for curbing the spread of deepfake photos and videos. He emphasized that platforms must make sufficient efforts to combat such content, and the existing safe harbour clause in the IT Act would not apply if platforms fail to do so. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the deepfake issue last Friday, citing an alleged video showing him performing the traditional Gujarati dance, Garba, and singing. Modi expressed concerns about the potential harm caused by misinformation spread through deepfakes, labelling it a serious threat. He recommended that deepfake content include disclaimers for viewers, revealing that he had proposed a similar idea to the OpenAI team. Earlier this month, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issued an advisory to social media and internet intermediaries, urging them to take strict action against any deepfake content in accordance with the provisions outlined in the IT Rules and IT Act. (With input from agencies)