Indian lawmakers step up fight against deepfakes

India is taking a tougher approach to deepfakes with social media companies put on notice.

The Indian government has outlined a strengthened legal framework to combat the growing menace of deepfake technology, detailing enhancements to existing laws and issuing fresh advisories to intermediaries.

Union Minister Jitin Prasada highlighted the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023, which imposes penalties on entities that process personal data without meaningful consent — this acts as a safeguard against unauthorized use of personal likenesses in deepfake creations.

The newly enacted Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023 further criminalizes the spread of false or misleading statements intended to incite public fear or mischief, explicitly targeting organized cybercrime networks that leverage synthetic content.

The Information Technology Act 2000, under which offences ranging from identity theft and impersonation to privacy violations and the distribution of obscene material, already carries criminal penalties.

The Act’s provisions for blocking orders and mandated removal of unlawful content will now explicitly encompass AI-generated deepfakes. Complementing this, the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021, require intermediaries to exercise due diligence, prevent unlawful content transmission and inform users of any accuracy risks associated with synthetic media.

To reinforce these statutory measures, the government has issued advisories reminding social media platforms and other intermediaries of their duties under the 2021 Rules. The December 2023 and March 2024 directives instructed these services to identify and remove misinformation or impersonation via deepfakes, flag the potentially misleading nature of such content to users, and comply with Grievance Appellate Committee orders within prescribed timelines.

Beyond regulatory obligations, the state has activated a nationwide response ecosystem. The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) coordinates removal notices through the SAHYOG portal, while the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal and a dedicated helpline (1930) enable citizens to report deepfake incidents. CERT-In issues ongoing guidance on AI threats, and annual awareness campaigns such as Cyber Security Awareness Month and Safer Internet Day aim to educate the public and technical communities.

The government believes these measures will safeguard citizens, preserve public trust and deter malicious actors in an era where the lines between real and synthetic content increasingly blur.

Article Topics

deepfakes  |  Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act  |  digital trust  |  India  |  legislation  |  social media