Government set to convene summit with Meta and Google to tackle Deepfake crisis: Ashwini Vaishnaw

IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has announced an upcoming summit between government officials and major social media platforms to tackle the growing apprehensions surrounding deepfake technology. The minister unequivocally stated that the protective shield of safe harbor immunity would be withdrawn unless platforms took adequate measures to combat the proliferation of deepfakes.

Vaishnaw revealed that the government had recently issued a notice to companies addressing the deepfake predicament. While acknowledging some efforts by platforms in response, he emphasized the need for a more proactive approach to combat such content.

"They are taking steps...but we think that many more steps will have to be taken. And we are very soon going to have a meeting of all the platforms...Maybe in the next 3-4 days, we'll call them for brainstorming on that and make sure that platforms make adequate efforts for preventing it (deepfakes), and cleaning up their system," Vaishnaw told reporters.

Regarding the participation of major entities like Meta and Google in the upcoming meeting, the minister confirmed their involvement.

Crucially, Vaishnaw highlighted that the current protection of safe harbor immunity under the IT Act would not shield platforms unless concrete actions were taken to address the deepfake menace.

"The safe harbor clause, which most social media platforms have been enjoying...that does not apply if they do not take adequate steps for removing deepfakes from their platforms," he asserted.

Recent incidents involving 'deepfake' videos targeting prominent personalities have sparked public outrage, intensifying concerns about the misuse of technology to fabricate false narratives.

In a related development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Friday, issued a warning about the potential crisis arising from AI-generated deepfakes. He urged the media to raise awareness about the perilous misuse of this technology, emphasizing the need to educate the populace about its risks.