After actor’s viral video, IT ministry sends social media firms two letters on deepfake regulations

The Union ministry of electronics and IT on Tuesday directed social media platforms to ensure that they act to weed out misinformation and deepfakes as mandated by Indian law, a day after a viral fake video of Telugu actor Rashmika Mandanna sparked concerns about the misuse of artificial intelligence and its potential to further gender violence online.

The ministry’s two letters, dated November 6 and 7, were issued by the cyber laws division of the ministry as follow-ups to the advisory on deepfakes sent in February. They reminded the social media platforms of their obligations under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code), 2021.