Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnav on Thursday announced that the government will release draft rules in ten days to address deepfake images and videos. The proposal calls for punishing platforms and creators to tackle the problem.
During this period, Vaishnav expressed that they would commence the process of formulating the regulation immediately. In due course, a fresh set of guidelines for deepfakes will be established. It is important to note that these regulations will not involve modifying the current framework or introducing new rules or legislation. This announcement was made during a press conference held in New Delhi.
During our meeting today, we engaged in fruitful discussions with renowned academicians in the field, Nasscom, and leading companies in AI tools. Our collective decision was to develop clear and actionable plans on four key pillars in a structured manner within the next 10 days.
The government is contemplating the imposition of penalties on individuals who upload or produce deepfakes, as well as on platforms that host such content. Vaishnaw emphasized that the primary areas of focus will revolve around identifying deepfakes and misinformation, preventing their dissemination, strengthening reporting mechanisms, and raising awareness. He further stated that all companies, platforms, and the industry as a whole share their concerns and acknowledge that deepfakes are not protected under the guise of free speech. They recognize the necessity for stricter regulations in this regard, and the process of drafting these regulations will commence today itself. Recently, social media platforms have witnessed the emergence of deepfake videos featuring celebrities and politicians.
Vaishnaw stated that technology has the capability to identify deepfakes; however, wrongdoers have managed to circumvent the process of watermarking and labeling videos and images. The newly implemented regulations will be enforced on all deepfake videos exhibited within India.