"Will Notify Tighter Rules": Minister After Sachin Tendulkar's Deepfake

Cricket great Sachin Tendulkar is the latest among several celebrities who have fallen victim to deepfake videos. The video points to the worrying trend of deepfakes being shared on social media, creating an atmosphere of misinformation and misuse of technology, a concern highlighted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well, who called deepfakes "A challenge for the world".

Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Union Minister of Electronics and Technology, expressed concern over the video shared by Sachin Tendulkar and said, "Deepfakes and misinformation powered by Artificial Intelligence are a threat to safety and trust of Indian users and represents harm and legal violation that platforms have to prevent and take down."

The minister said, "The recent advisory issued by the IT Ministry requires platforms to comply with this 100 per cent", adding that "The ministry will be notifying tighter rules shortly under IT Act to ensure compliance by platforms".

A deepfake video featuring Mr Tendulkar endorsing the gaming app "Skyward Aviator Quest" has been making rounds on various social media platforms. The video not only showcases the cricket icon seemingly advocating for the app but also falsely claims that his daughter, Sara, is reaping financial benefits from it.

Sachin Tendulkar took to social media to address the disturbing misuse of technology, urging vigilance and swift action against the spread of misinformation.

"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," Mr Tendulkar wrote on X, sharing the digitally altered video.

Deepfakes are a form of synthetic media crafted using artificial intelligence, employing sophisticated algorithms to manipulate both visual and audio elements. The term gained prominence in 2017 when a Reddit user introduced a platform for sharing manipulated videos.

Since then, deepfake technology has evolved, becoming a potential weapon for cybercriminals to disrupt and damage the reputation of individuals, companies, or even governments.

Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said recently that notices were sent to all social media companies directing them to take necessary steps to identify and remove disinformation from their platforms.
"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," he said.

"Also, we must notice that the 'Safe Harbour' Clause that most of the social media platforms have been enjoying, doesn't apply if the platforms do not take adequate steps to remove the deepfakes from their platforms."