Deepfakes: Centre Holds Meeting With Social Media Platforms To Assess Progress In Addressing Issue

Some social media firms have complied, others that been "slow" in doing so, have been given additional time.

The government on Tuesday held another meeting with social media platforms to "assess" the progress they have made in addressing the concerning issue of deepfakes. In the second "Digital India Dialogues" session on misinformation and deepfakes with social media firms, the Union Minister of State (MoS) for Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) Rajeev Chandrasekhar assessed the advancements since the November 24 meeting. At that time, the Centre had set a seven-day deadline for platforms to align their policies with Indian regulations to check deepfakes, the media has reported.

Some social media firms have complied, others that been "slow" in doing so, have been given additional time, says a report by news agency PTI. The Centre, in Tuesday's meeting, has made it clear that it will continue with its "zero tolerance approach" on user harm. During the meeting, the firms were clearly told that there are criminal consequences to such user harms, mapped even under existing laws.

While many platforms have shown a clear understanding of what is the right thing to do and are adapting quickly, some platforms have shown lethargy, the PTI report added, citing sources.

A final meeting with digital platforms to take stock of the issue will take place in seven days. IT rules and Act clearly require platforms to tackle harm, and also make sure that users on the platforms are well aware of what is illegal and what is not.

Deepfakes could be subject to action under the current IT Rules, particularly Rule 3(1)(b), which mandates the removal of 12 types of content within 24 hours of receiving user complaints, says a report by IANS.

Earlier in November, the Centre set deepfake crackdown in motion, with the Rajeev Chandrasekhar saying that the IT ministry and the Centre will nominate a rule seven officer and will take 100 per cent compliance from all the platforms, in a bid to deal with the so-called synthetic content and deefake online.

Meanwhile, Union Information, Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has also said that regulations will be formed to check the spread of deepfakes on social media platforms, and deemed them a “new threat to democracy”.