● Deepfake has emerged as a serious threat to democracy and social institutions across the world. Propagation of deepfake content via social media platforms has aggravated this challenge.
● Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (‘MeitY’) has, from time to time, advised social media intermediaries to exercise due diligence and take expeditious action against deepfake.
● Earlier today, Hon’ble Minister Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw interacted with representatives from academia, industry bodies and social media companies (Facebook, X (formerly twitter), WhatsApp, Telegram, Koo, Snapchat etc) on the need to ensure effective response to deepfake.
● It was agreed during the discussion that government, academia, social media companies and NASSCOM will jointly work towards responding to deepfake. It was further agreed that within next 10 days, actionable items on the following 4 pillars would be identified:
1. Detection: Deepfake content should be detected before and after such content is posted
2. Prevention: There should be an effective mechanism for preventing propagation of deepfake content
3. Reporting: Effective and expeditious reporting and grievance redressal mechanism should be available
4. Awareness: Mass awareness on the issue of deepfake should be created
● Further, with immediate effect, MeitY will commence an exercise for assessing and drafting necessary regulations to curb the menace of deepfake. For this purpose, MeitY will invite comments from public on MyGov portal.
● A follow-up meeting with relevant stakeholders will be held again in the first week of December, 2023 to finalise the 4-pillared structure. Government of India remains committed to combat the growing threat of deepfake by leveraging technology and fostering public awareness.
