Govt may tell platforms to end deepfakes voluntarily

The government is likely to seek AI-based solutions from social media platforms

- Gulveen Aulakh,Shouvik Das

The government is likely to seek robust technology and AI-based solutions from social media platforms and significant intermediaries to proactively scan for, and flag, deepfake content on their platforms, two senior officials said seeking anonymity.

Platforms will be discussing voluntary mechanisms to identify and block deepfake content that may be potentially harmful during high-level meetings with officials from the ministry of electronics and information technology on Thursday and Friday.

“The issue of deepfake content, who put it, and on which platform, and then it’s virality, all elements will have to be addressed. This has to be done while allowing space for innovation. While there have been instances of deepfake content being flagged and taken down by the platform, there has to be onus on intermediaries to do this on their own," said one of the officials.