Rashmika deepfake video: IT Ministry issues advisory to social media platforms

New Delhi, Nov 7:  The IT Ministry on Tuesday issued an advisory to social media platforms after the controversy erupted over a morphed video of actor Rashmika Mandanna that went viral on the social media.

MeitY sent advisories to social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, to take down fake content generated via artificial intelligence (AI) within 24 hours.

According to sources, the advisory reiterated existing legal provisions that platforms have to follow as online intermediaries. It reiterated the existing rules under the Information Technology Act, 2000, including punishment for cheating by personation by using computer resources, imprisonment of up to 3 years and a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh.

"IT Intermediary Rules: Rule 3(1)(b)(vii): Social media intermediary shall observe due diligence including ensuring the rules and regulations, privacy policy or user agreement of the intermediary inform users not to host any content that impersonates another person," according to the advisory.

The advisory came as the Congress wrote to Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, saying such deepfakes pose a severe threat to individuals' privacy and security and demanded for a comprehensive legal and regulatory framework in India to tackle the challenges posed by the technology.

After Mandanna strongly reacted against her Deepfake video, a new morphed picture of actress Katrina Kaif from ‘Tiger 3’ is now doing the rounds on social media.