Hours after master blaster Sachin Tendulkar flagged a deepfake video in which his voice was manipulated to promote an online game, Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar assured tighter rules under the Information Technology (IT) Act to ensure compliance by social media platforms operational in the country.
Chandrasekhar, the Union Electronics and Information Technology Minister, took to X and thanked Sachin Tedulkar for flagging the video. He also said that deepfakes and misinformation powered by Artificial Intelligence are a threat to the safety and trust of Indian users.
"Thank you @sachin_rt for this tweet. #DeepFakes and misinformation powered by #AI are a threat to Safety&Trust of Indian users and represents harm & legal violation that platforms hv to prevent and take down. Recent Advisory by @GoI_MeitY requires platforms to comply wth this 100%. We will be shortly notifying tighter rules under IT Act to ensure compliance by platforms," Chandrasekhar tweeted.
The former Indian cricketer on Monday called out a fake video going viral on social media in his name. In the edited video, Tendulkar is seen promoting an online game, giving the example of daughter Sara earning Rs 1.8 lakh per day by making predictions.
In his social media post, Tendulkar clarified that he had nothing to do with the said video and alleged that it was manipulated.
Tendulkar also said that he was disturbed to see "rampant misuse of technology" and appealed to stop the "spread of misinformation and deepfakes".
"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. Social Media platforms need to be alert and responsive to complaints. Swift action from their end is crucial to stopping the spread of misinformation and deepfakes," Sachin said in a social media post on X.
Tendulkar is the latest victim of deepfake technology after Bollywood actor Rashmika Mandhana. A deepfake video of Rashmika Mandanna went viral on social media where a woman dressed in a black workout onesie inside an elevator. Her face was edited using AI to resemble Mandanna.
Reacting to the issue, Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had termed deepfakes "a new threat to democracy" and said that the government will come up with new regulations soon to tackle deepfakes.
