In a press conference held at the BJP office on Tuesday, Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, declared that the government will introduce amendments to the Information Technology (IT) Rules in the next seven to eight days to address the growing concern of deepfakes. He expressed dissatisfaction with social media companies’ non-compliance with advisories issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
Chandrasekhar emphasized that if the existing Rules and advisories are not adequately followed, the government will implement newly amended rules specifically targeting the issue of misinformation and deepfakes. He mentioned that social media platforms have the responsibility to detect and remove deepfakes, and failure to do so will result in legal action against the platforms.
“We have clearly said that this is not something that can be done on a ‘best efforts’ basis. These are all illegalities, harms,” Chandrasekhar stated.
Under rule 3(1)(b) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, intermediaries are required to make “reasonable efforts” to prevent users from uploading, hosting, or storing content that violates various guidelines, including intellectual property rights, obscenity, or poses a threat to national security.
Chandrasekhar has reportedly instructed the ministry’s legal division to amend the provision, referring to the content as “prohibited content” and obligating intermediaries to ensure such content is not available on their services. However, legal experts within the ministry have contested this proposal, citing potential conflicts with Article 19(2) of the Indian Constitution, which specifies reasonable restrictions on the right to freedom of speech and expression.
During the press conference, Chandrasekhar warned that if platforms do not take deepfakes seriously, the government might consider blocking them in India in the public interest.
In addition to addressing deepfakes, Chandrasekhar mentioned the introduction of a “bystander clause” to the IT Rules during a January 11 meeting. This clause would require intermediaries to assist users in filing FIRs against illegal content. Chandrasekhar also announced that the Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, which were delayed, would be released for consultation this month.
As the government takes a proactive stance against the challenges posed by deepfakes and misinformation, these amendments aim to reinforce accountability and responsibility among tech firms operating in India.
Sources By Agencies