The Indian government has issued an advisory to social media and internet platforms to guard against deepfakes and have mandated intermediaries such as Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, X, and Google to communicate with their users about the need to stay away from posting or spreading deepfakes. This is in line with the country’s IT rules and intermediaries are liable for punishment under the Indian Penal Code if users violate these rules. The directive specifically addresses concerns around misinformation powered by AI-Deepfakes and mandates that intermediaries must clearly communicate to users the content that is prohibited under the IT Rules. The advisory also emphasizes that digital intermediaries must ensure users are informed about penal provisions and that terms of service and user agreements must clearly highlight that platforms are under obligation to report legal violations to law enforcement agencies. Additionally, the platforms must communicate their rules, regulations, privacy policy, and user agreement in the user’s preferred language. Deepfakes refer to synthetic or doctored media that is digitally manipulated using artificial intelligence to misrepresent or impersonate someone, and there have been recent cases of deepfake videos targeting leading actors that have gone viral, sparking public outrage. The Delhi Police has also apprehended four suspects in a deepfake video case involving actress Rashmika Mandanna.
Overall, the Indian government is taking steps to address the issue of deepfakes on social media and internet platforms by issuing an advisory to intermediaries and emphasizing the need to communicate, inform, and take action against the spread of deepfakes. This is in response to growing concerns around misinformation and fake narratives created using synthetic content and artificial intelligence.