Lok Sabha Question No. 1416 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-07-31
Subject: Deepfake
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Shri Bhartruhari Mahtab, Shri Anurag Sharma

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARED QUESTION NO. 1416

TO BE ANSWERED ON:   31.07.2024

## DEEPFAKE

## 1416.    SHRI ANURAG SHARMA: SHRI BHARTRUHARI MAHTAB:

Will the Minister of Electronics and Information Technology be pleased to state:

- (a) whether it is true that Deepfake videos are a threat to society and are on a rise;
- (b) whether the Government has any plan to counter deepfakes;
- (c) whether the existing IT rules is capable of dealing with deepfakes;
- (d)  whether  the  Government  has  any  plan  to  involve  various  Social  Media  websites/apps  inthe process of developing a framework for preventing dissemination of deepfake videos, if so, thedetails thereof; and
- (e) whether the Government has any plan to bring legislation to identify, check deepfakes andalso to sensitise people to make them abstained from forwarding such videos/messages and ifso, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI JITIN PRASADA)

(a) to (e): Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology ('MeitY') engages with and receives inputs  from  the  public  and  stakeholders,  including  in  respect  of  changes  required  to  existing legislation and  the  need  to introduce  fresh legislation.  MeitY  has  notified  the  Information Technology  (Intermediary  Guidelines  and  Digital  Media  Ethics  Code)  Rules,  2021  ('IT  Rules, 2021') on 25.02.2021 which were subsequently amended 28.10.2022 and 6.4.2023.

The IT Rules, 2021 cast the obligations on the intermediary platforms to not allow hosting, sharing, uploading,  transmitting,  etc.  of  any  prohibited  information  that  includes  information  which  is misinformation and patently false information on the Indian  Internet or  that impersonates another person. Deepfakes are another form of misinformation powered by Artificial Intelligence.

Where any information falls within the categories prohibited under this Rule, any user may make a request  to  the  Grievance  Officer  of  the  concerned  intermediary  on  whose  platform  such  unlawful information  is  made  available  to  the  public.  Upon  receipt  of  such  request,  the  intermediary  is required to act expeditiously within the timelines prescribed under IT Rules, 2021.

Also, under the IT Rules, the Government has also established Grievance Appellate Committees to allow users and victims to appeal online on www.gac.gov.inagainst decisions taken by the Grievance Officers of intermediaries in case they are dissatisfied with the decision of the Grievance Officer.

MeitY  has  also  issued  advisories  from  time  to  time  to  intermediaries/platforms  for  ensuring compliance on using Artificial Intelligence foundational model(s) /Large Language Model (LLM)/Generative  AI  (Artificial  Intelligence),  software(s)  or  algorithm(s).  These  advisories  were issued under the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.

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