Government of India has issued an advisory to social media intermediaries to identify misinformation and deepfakes.
About Deepfakes
- Deepfakes refer to videos, audios or images created using a form of artificial intelligence called deep learning.
- Now, deepfake tech, with the help of AI tools, allows semi- and unskilled individuals to create fake content with morphed audio-visual clips and images. Deepfake tech can be used to fictional material from scratch.
- The technology involves modifying or creating images and videos using a machine learning technique called generative adversarial network (GAN).
- The AI-driven software detects and learns the subjects’ movements and facial expressions from the source material and then duplicates these in another video or image.
Rules against Deepfakes
- Centre has asked social media intermediaries to ensure that due diligence is exercised and reasonable efforts are made to identify misinformation and deepfakes.
- Ministry of Electronics and IT said such cases must be expeditiously actioned against, well within the timeframes stipulated under the IT Rules 2021.
- The advisory stated that such content must be removed within 36 hours of reporting.
- The intermediaries were reminded that any failure to act as per the relevant provisions of the IT Act and Rules would attract Rule 7 of the IT Rules, 2021, and could render the organisation liable to losing the protection available under Section 79(1) of the IT Act.
- Impersonating online is illegal under Section 66D of the Information Technology Act of 2000.
- The IT Rules, 2021, also prohibit hosting any content that impersonates another person and requires social media firms to take down artificially morphed images when alerted.
