The government has got cracking on deepfakes or morphed videos on the internet and has instructed social media companies such as Instagram, X (Twitter), Facebook and YouTube to remove such content from their platforms within 24 hours of receiving a complaint. If the companies do not do so, they run the risk of being censured around the provisions of the Information Technology Rules. The advisory said that section 66D of the IT Act, 2000 provides for punishment for those found cheating by personation, using a computer resource. The punishment could be imprisonment up to three years and a fine up to Rs. 1 lakh. The advisory mentions that social media companies shall observe due diligence, including ensuring the rules and regulations, privacy policy or user agreement, and inform users not to host any content that impersonates another person.
The government has also asked those impacted by the menace, to file an FIR at the nearest police station while promptly informing the social media platforms to delete them. The IT ministry is monitoring the situation and “will act if social media companies fail to act” as per the government directive.
The move came after a deepfake video of actress Rashmika Mandana became viral on social media platforms earlier this week. Even as the government was issuing instructions to check deepfakes, a morphed picture of Katrina Kaif from Tiger 3 went viral. In the deepfake photograph, her outfit has been altered to make it explicit.