Indian IT Minister Calls Meeting with Social Media Platforms to Tackle Deepfake Crisis

• ByStartupStory     |    November 23, 2023

Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has scheduled a meeting with representatives from social media platforms on Thursday to address the growing concern of deepfakes, according to a reliable source. The move comes as the government intensifies efforts to combat the misuse of technology and urges digital platforms to take stringent actions against deepfakes. The meeting, set for November 23, follows the recent viral circulation of ‘deepfake’ videos targeting prominent actors, prompting heightened worries about the potential misuse of technology to create fabricated content and narratives.

Expressing the urgency of the matter, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Friday, cautioned that deepfakes generated by artificial intelligence could lead to a significant crisis and contribute to societal discontent. He urged the media to play a role in raising awareness about the misuse of deepfakes and educating the public on this issue.

Ashwini Vaishnaw has underscored that the safe harbour immunity clause will not be applicable unless platforms take sufficient measures to remove deepfakes. The government had issued a notice to companies on this matter, and although platforms responded, the minister emphasized the need for more proactive efforts in addressing such content. In a statement to reporters last week, Vaishnaw stated, “They are taking steps… but we think that many more steps will have to be taken. And we are very soon going to have a meeting of all the platforms… maybe in the next 3-4 days, we’ll call them for brainstorming on that and make sure that platforms make adequate efforts for preventing it (deepfakes), and cleaning up their system.”

Responding to inquiries about the participation of major platforms like Meta and Google, the minister affirmed that they would indeed be invited to the meeting. “The safe harbour clause, which most social media platforms have been enjoying… that does not apply if they do not take adequate steps for removing deepfakes from their platforms,” Vaishnaw reiterated, emphasizing the need for robust actions against the proliferation of deepfakes.

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