MeitY Instructs Social Media Platforms To Take Down Deepfakes In 24 Hours, As Morphed Video Of Rashmika Mandanna Goes Viral

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has issued advisories to social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, instructing them to remove deepfake content created through artificial intelligence within 24 hours.

This advisory to social media platforms follows the viral spread of a deepfake featuring actor Rashmika Mandanna.

This comes as a second advisory, with the first one being issued in February this year.

According to a report from The Indian Express, the advisory has restated the legal obligations that online platforms must adhere to as intermediaries.

It specifically refers to Section 66D of the Information Technology Act, which outlines the penalties for cheating through personation using computer resources, including imprisonment for up to three years and a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh.

The advisory also referenced Rule 3(2)(b) of the Information Technology Rules, which mandates social media platforms to promptly remove content that involves impersonation, such as artificially manipulated images of a person, within 24 hours of receiving a complaint.

A viral deepfake of Mandanna has been circulating on social media platforms like Instagram. In this manipulated video, her face has been morphed onto footage of a woman entering an elevator while dressed in revealing attire.

The original video was originally posted on Instagram by a British-Indian social media influencer about a month ago.

Following the viral spread of the clip, actor Amitabh Bachchan has urged for legal measures to be taken against the deepfake involving Mandanna.

Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the Union Minister of State for Information Technology, expressed on X that deepfakes are a highly perilous and harmful form of misinformation that must be addressed by online platforms.

Mandanna expressed her deep distress in response to the widely circulated deepfake video on X. She emphasised that such videos are not only frightening for her, but also for everyone who is susceptible to harm due to the misuse of technology.

Deepfake technology poses greater challenges for women, who already face hostility on online platforms.

This specific clip also underscored the additional dimension of harassment that deepfakes introduce, amplifying how women can be targeted and exploited on the internet.

In February, the IT ministry sent advisories to the chief compliance officers of different social media platforms.

These advisories were in response to reports received by the ministry about the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-generated deepfakes. The deepfakes were being used to manipulate people by creating altered content.

It was previously reported that the centre is considering implementing a contentious law that would oblige WhatsApp to disclose information about the initial sender of a message, due to the increasing prevalence of AI-driven misinformation on the messaging platform.

Multiple deepfake videos of politicians circulating on WhatsApp have prompted the government to take action.

Under the Information Technology Rules, 2021, the government is in the process of sending an order to the messaging company, requesting the identity of the individuals who initially shared the videos on the platform.