‘Shortly notifying tighter rules’ says IT MoS after Sachin Tendulkar flags a fake deepfake video on X

Union Electronics and Information Technology Minister, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, has stated that the IT Ministry will soon come up with “tighter rules” after cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar flagged a deepfake video of himself making rounds online. In the video, a person impersonating as Sachin Tendulkar is promoting an online game. The minister acknowledged the harm caused by deepfake technology that uses Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The minister wrote on X, “Thank you @sachin_rt for this tweet. #DeepFakes and misinformation powered by #AI are a threat to Safety&Trust of Indian users and represents harm & legal violation that platforms hv to prevent and take down. Recent Advisory by @GoI_MeitY requires platforms to comply wth this 100%. We will be shortly notifying tighter rules under IT Act to ensure compliance by platforms”.

Thank you @sachin_rt for this tweet #DeepFakes and misinformation powered by #AI are a threat to Safety&Trust of Indian users and represents harm & legal violation that platforms hv to prevent and take down.

Recent Advisory by @GoI_MeitY requires platforms to comply wth this… https://t.co/DGe2utFjBM

— Rajeev Chandrasekhar 🇮🇳 (@Rajeev_GoI) January 15, 2024

In the deepfake video, person impersonating as Sachin Tendulkar is talking about the benefits of the gaming app and how people can earn money using this app easily. He even mentions his daughter during this video. Reacting to this fake video, Sachin Tendulkar wrote on X, “These videos are fake. It is disturbing to see rampant misuse of technology. Request everyone to report videos, ads & apps like these in large numbers.”

He even tagged Ministry of Electronics & IT, Rajeev Chandrasekhar -- the Union Minister of State for Entrepreneurship, Skill Development, Electronics & Technology, and Maharashtra Cyber in this post.

For the unaware, deepfake technology uses artificial intelligence to tailor a fake video where the creator can make a video of anyone and make them say things that they wouldn’t have in real life.

The incidents of deepfakes have increased by a lot in the past few months. Several popular celebrities like Rashmika Mandanna, Katrina Kaif, Alia Bhatt and even Rata Tata have fallen prey to this cybercrime. To eradicate this issue, Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently revealed that notices were sent to all social media companies directing them to take necessary steps to identify and remove disinformation from their platforms. He stated, “Deepfake is a big issue for all of us. We recently issued notices to all the big social media forms, asking them to take steps to identify deepfakes, for removing those content. The social media platforms have responded. They are taking action. We have told them to be more aggressive in this work.”

Also Read: 

Flipkart, Amazon Republic Day sale 2024: Apple iPhone 15 available at Rs 66,999; check all deals

OnePlus 12 India price leaked online ahead of January 23 launch; check expected specs