MeitY advises social media intermediaries to remove deepfakes within 36 hours of reporting

New Delhi: After alarming increase in deepfakes incidents in the country, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issued advisory to social media intermediaries to remove any such content when reported within 36 hours of reporting. 

The ministry further notified the social media intermediaries to ensure due diligence and to make reasonable efforts to identify misinformation and deepfakes. 

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) has released a second advisory in the last six months, urging online platforms to take decisive action against the spread of deepfakes, in light of the serious problems posed by misinformation and deepfakes, said Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar. 

The ministry emphasized that the social media intermediaries should identify the information that violates the provision of rules and regulations and or user agreements. 

The ministry further stated that expeditious action should be taken against such cases well within the timeframes stipulated under the IT Rules 2021. 
Union Minister Chandrasekhar added, “Safety and trust of our Digital Nagriks is our unwavering commitment and top priority for the Narendra Modi Government.”

According to the Minister, deepfakes are particularly harmful to women and constitute a serious violation. The safety and trust of all citizens are extremely important to our government, especially our women and children who are the target of such content, eh added. 

He elaborated that it is a legal obligation for online platforms to stop the spread of misinformation by any user under the Information Technology (IT) rules, 2021. 

They are further mandated to remove such content within 36 hours upon receiving a report from either a user or government authority. 
Failure to comply with this requirement invokes Rule 7, which empowers aggrieved individuals to take platforms to court under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), he added.  

It is imperative that platforms take proactive measures to combat this threat, he continued. 

He concluded, "For those who find themselves impacted by deepfakes, I strongly encourage you to file First Information Reports (FIRs) at your nearest police station and avail the remedies provided under the Information Technology (IT) rules, 2021."