Centre Issues Reminder on Deepfake Misinformation, Highlighting Legal Consequences
The Indian government has issued a reminder to social media platforms regarding deepfake videos following the recent viral incident involving a video falsely attributed to actor Rashmika Mandanna. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has emphasized the legal provisions that pertain to deepfake creation and distribution, along with the potential penalties involved. The advisory cites Section 66D of the Information Technology Act, 2000, which deals with ‘punishment for cheating by personation using a computer resource.’ It states that individuals who use any communication device or computer resource for cheating through personation could face imprisonment for up to three years and a fine of up to one lakh rupees. This advisory comes in response to the widely circulated deepfake video that initially appeared to feature Rashmika Mandanna but was later revealed to be manipulated content using the face of British-Indian influencer Zara Patel. The incident has raised concern...