The Centre,
reacting strongly to viral deepfake video of actor Rashmika Mandana, has sent a
rule reminder to social media platforms amid concern over the use of Artificial
Intelligence to spread disinformation.
The Ministry of
Electronics and Information Technology has circulated an advisory to social
media platforms, underlining the legal provisions that cover such deepfakes and
the penalties their creation and circulation may attract.
The government has
cited Section 66D of Information Technology Act, 2000 that states, “Whoever, by
means for any communication device or computer resource cheats by personating,
shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may
extend to three years and shall also be liable to fine which may extend to Rs 1 lakh.”
The Central Government’s
advisory comes amid shocking viral video that appeared to show Mandanna
entering an elevator.
Soon after the
clip started trending, it was found that it was actually a video of
British-Indian influencer Zara Patel. The clips were doctored using deepfake
technology and the result was jaw-dropping – Patel’s face was replaced with
that of Mandanna.
On this episode, Mandanna
said, ‘‘I feel really hurt to share this and have to talk about the deepfake
video of me being spread online. Something like this is honestly, extremely
scary not only for me, but also for each one of us who today is vulnerable to
so much harm because of how technology is being misused.’
Many voices in the
film industry, including legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan, flagged the matter
and called for legal action.
Rajeev
Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology,
yesterday said the Narendra Modi Government is committed to ensuring safety and
trust for Indians in the digital space.
“Under the IT
rules notified in April, 2023 – it is a legal compulsion for platforms to
ensure no misinformation is posted by any user, ensure that when reported by
any user or government, misinformation is removed within 36 hours.
If platforms do
not comply with this, rule 7 will apply and platforms can be taken to court by
aggrieved person under provisions of the IPC. Deep fakes are latest and even
more dangerous and damaging form of misinformation and needs to be dealt with
by platforms,” the minister tweeted with the hashtags SafeTrustedInternet, Accountable
and DigitalIndia.
