INDIA's government on Friday (24) warned social media firms including Facebook and YouTube to repeatedly remind users that local laws prohibit them from posting deepfakes and content that spreads obscenity or misinformation, two sources said.
The warning was conveyed by deputy IT minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar in a closed-door meeting where he said many companies had not updated their usage terms despite 2022 rules that prohibit content "harmful" to children, obscene or that "impersonates another person".
It comes amid growing concerns over deepfakes - realistic yet fabricated videos created by artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms trained on online footage - which a top minister this week said this week India is drawing up rules to address.
Chandrasekhar said the companies must raise awareness of the rules by reminding users every time they log in that they cannot post such content, or by issuing reminders.
He said otherwise he will issue directions forcing them to do so, said the two sources, who declined to be named as the meeting was private.
The minister described it as a "non-negotiable" demand of the Indian government during the meeting, said one of the sources.
India's IT ministry said in a press statement all platforms had agreed to align their content guidelines with government rules.
Facebook and Chandrasekhar did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Alphabet Inc's Google, which owns YouTube, said in a statement it was committed to responsible AI development and has robust policies and systems to identify and remove harmful content across its products and platforms.
The Indian government and prime minister Narendra Modi have raised concerns over deepfakes in recent days.
During a virtual summit of G20 nations on Wednesday (22), Modi called on global leaders to jointly work towards regulating AI, and raised concerns over the negative impact of deepfakes on society.
Also, Indian minister Ashwini Vaishnaw revealed that the country is drawing up rules for governing deepfakes.
"We plan to complete drafting the regulations within the next few weeks," Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters after a meeting with academics, industry groups and social media companies.
The process of drafting regulations would also look at penalties on both the person uploading the content and the social media platform on which it was posted, Vaishnaw added.
The move comes as countries across the world race to draw up rules to regulate AI.
President Joe Biden last month signed an executive order requiring developers of AI systems that pose risks to US national security, the economy or public health or safety to share the results of safety tests with the US government before they are released to the public.
The UN too has created a 39-member advisory body to address issues in the governance of AI, while European lawmakers have prepared a draft set of rules which could be approved by next month.
(Reuters)
Davindra and Seema Misra, and Vijay and Gita Parekh
Varchas Patel with his father Vipin and mother Jayshriben
Hasmukh Shingadia and his wife Chandrika were all victims of the Horizon scandal
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Man pleads not guilty to murder of BBC presenter's family
A 26-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering the wife and two daughters of BBC sports commentator John Hunt in a crossbow and knife attack.
Kyle Clifford, who also faces charges of rape, appeared via video link at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday.
Clifford, arrested in July after a manhunt, is charged with three counts of murder, one count each of rape and false imprisonment, and two counts of possessing offensive weapons – a 10-inch knife and a crossbow.
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session.
He is expected to enter a plea for that charge at a later date.
The victims were Carol Hunt, 61, wife of horseracing commentator John Hunt, and their daughters Louise, 25, and Hannah, 28.
An earlier hearing revealed that Louise had been found tied up and that both she and her sister had been shot with a crossbow, while their mother had been stabbed with a knife.
The fatal attack occurred at the family’s home in Bushey, a commuter town near Watford, northwest of London.
(With inputs from AFP)