New Delhi: In an effort to address the harms and criminalities being committed through widespread circulation of misinformation and deepfakes powered by AI, the government has once again advised social media platforms on countering unlawful content, including malicious “synthetic media”, to curb deepfakes and promptly remove harmful content online.
Through multiple consultations, the ministry has issued timely advisories, reminding intermediaries to comply with their due diligence obligations as outlined in the IT Rules, 2021.
“The policies are aimed at ensuring a safe, trusted and accountable cyberspace for users in the country,” said Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Jitin Prasada, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.
The IT Act outlines penalties for various cybercrimes, including identity theft, impersonation, privacy violations, and publishing/transmitting obscene or sexually explicit material, particularly when involving children. The Act and its rules apply to all information generated using AI tools, other technologies, or created by users for the purpose of defining these offences.
To safeguard Indian users and the internet ecosystem from potential harms caused by the misuse of technologies like AI, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) collaborates with the industry to promote responsible technology use. The IT Rules, 2021, impose specific obligations on intermediaries, including social media platforms, prohibiting them from hosting, storing, or publishing content that violates any law.
“They are also obligated to ensure their accountability that includes their expeditious action towards removal of the unlawful information categorised under the IT Rules, 2021, as notified by the appropriate government or on the basis of grievances received against any unlawful information,” according to the ministry.
Where any information is categorised as unlawful under the IT Rules, 2021, any user may make a request to the Grievance Officer of the concerned intermediary on whose platform such unlawful information is made available to the public. Upon receipt of such request, the intermediary is required to act expeditiously within the timelines prescribed under IT Rules, 2021.
Also, under the IT Rules, 2021, the government has established Grievance Appellate Committees to allow users and victims to appeal online at www.gac.gov.in against decisions taken by the Grievance Officers of intermediaries in case they are dissatisfied with the decision of the Grievance Officer, said the minister.
The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) also issues alerts and advisories regarding the latest cyber threats/vulnerabilities, including malicious attacks using artificial intelligence and countermeasures to protect computers, networks and data on an ongoing basis.
(inputs from IANS)