File FIR if hit by deepfakes, take platforms to court if they take no action: MoS IT

New Delhi, Nov 7 (IANS) Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, on Tuesday said that those who find themselves impacted by AI-generated deepfakes should file first information reports (FIRs) at nearest police stations and avail the remedies provided under the Information Technology (IT) Rules, 2021 and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The minister said that given the significant challenges posed by misinformation and deepfakes, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has issued a second advisory within the last six months, calling upon online platforms to take decisive actions against the spread of deepfakes.

“Deepfakes are a major violation and harm women in particular. Our government takes the responsibility of safety and trust of all nagriks very very seriously, and more so about our children and women who are targeted by such content,” Chandrasekhar said in a statement.

It is a legal obligation for online platforms to prevent the spread of misinformation by any user under the Information Technology (IT) Rules, 2021.

“They are further mandated to remove such content within 36 hours upon receiving a report from either a user or government authority. Failure to comply with this requirement invokes Rule 7, which empowers aggrieved individuals to take platforms to court under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC),” the minister said.

He stressed that it is imperative that platforms take proactive measures to combat this threat.

“For those who find themselves impacted by deepfakes, I strongly encourage you to file First Information Reports (FIRs) at your nearest police station,” said Chandrasekhar.

MeitY has sent advisories to social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, to take down such fake content generated via artificial intelligence (AI).

After actress Rashmika Mandanna strongly reacted against her deepfake video, a new morphed picture of actress Katrina Kaif from “Tiger 3” was also doing the rounds on social media.

–IANS

na/vd