ADVISORY ON DEEPFAKE (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – Governance)

Context: The government has issued an advisory to all platforms to comply with IT rules amid growing concerns around deepfakes and misinformation powered by AI.

Advisory on Prohibited Content Communication

• Communication Mandate: The advisory dictates that digital and social media platforms must clearly and precisely communicate prohibited content, especially under Rule 3(1)(b) of IT Rules, to users.
• Focus on Misinformation: To counter growing issues of misinformation in digital spaces.
• Content Communication Requirements: The advisory emphasizes the explicit communication of prohibited content to users during registration, login, and information sharing on the platform, in adherence to Rule 3(1)(b).
• Legal Compliance Awareness: Platforms are required to inform users about penal provisions, including those in the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the IT Act 2000, ensuring transparency regarding legal consequences.
• Reporting Obligations: Terms of service must clarify that intermediaries are obligated to report legal violations to law enforcement agencies under relevant Indian laws.
• Rule Implementation: Rule 3(1)(b) mandates platforms to communicate rules, regulations, privacy policies, and user agreements in the user's preferred language as part of due diligence.
• Preventing User Harms: Platforms are obliged to make reasonable efforts to prevent users from engaging in activities related to the 11 listed user harms or prohibited content on digital intermediaries.

Deepfake 

• About: Deepfakes refer to synthetic media, which includes videos, images, or audio recordings generated and altered using advanced artificial intelligence techniques, particularly deep learning algorithms.
• Working: The term 'deepfake' combines 'deep learning' and 'fake.’