Mains Practice Questions

Introduction:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has transformed the information landscape by enabling the creation of hyper-realistic images, videos, and text. While AI-generated content offers vast opportunities in education, healthcare, and governance, it also poses serious ethical and security challenges. The emergence of deepfakes—synthetic media that manipulate identities or events—has amplified the threat of misinformation, reputational harm, and erosion of public trust. For a digitally connected democracy like India, ensuring responsible digital governance has become an urgent priority.

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India’s Efforts to Ensure Responsible Digital Governance

• Legal Framework
  • Information Technology Act, 2000 (IT Act): Addresses offenses related to identity theft (Section 66C), impersonation (Section 66D), privacy violations (Section 66E), and transmission of obscene or illegal content (Sections 67, 67A).
    • It empowers the government under Section 69A to issue blocking orders and mandates intermediaries’ due diligence (Section 79) to prevent the spread of unlawful content.
  • Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021: Amended in 2022 and 2023, these Rules hold intermediaries accountable for preventing the hosting or transmission of synthetic or unlawful content.
  • Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDP), 2023: Ensures lawful processing of personal data with user consent and security safeguards.
    • Deepfakes misusing personal data without consent are punishable offenses, reinforcing privacy protection.
  • Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023: Section 353 penalizes the spread of misinformation causing public mischief, while Section 111 allows prosecution of organized cybercrimes involving deepfakes, expanding law enforcement capacity.
  • Mandatory Labelling of AI-Generated Content: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has proposed amendments to the IT Rules, 2021 to require labelling of AI-generated or modified content.
    • All synthetically produced media must be clearly marked to ensure user transparency.
• India’s Multi-Layered Cyber Response Ecosystem
  • Grievance Appellate Committees (GACs): Provide appellate mechanisms for users to challenge intermediary decisions.
  • Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C): Coordinates cybercrime response across States and empowers agencies to issue content removal notices.
  • SAHYOG Portal: Centralised platform for automated takedown notices to intermediaries.
  • National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal: Allows citizens to report deepfake-related frauds and content misuse.
  • CERT-In: Issues advisories on AI-related threats—its November 2024 advisory highlighted steps for deepfake detection and protection.
  • Awareness Campaigns: Initiatives like Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM), Safer Internet Day, Cyber Jagrookta Diwas (CJD), and Swachhta Pakhwada promote digital literacy and responsible online behaviour.

Challenges in India’s Digital Governance

• Proliferation of Advanced AI Tools: Open-source tools like DeepFaceLab and ChatGPT have made deepfake creation easier.
  • In 2024, over 8 million deepfake files were detected globally—a 16-fold increase since 2020. India saw a 550% rise in cases since 2019, with ₹70,000 crore in projected losses.
• Escalating Financial Frauds and Cybercrimes: Deepfake-based financial scams and voice phishing are rising.
  • Global deepfake frauds surged 3,000% in 2023.
• Political Misinformation and Electoral Manipulation: During the 2024 General Elections, fake videos of political leaders spread widely, undermining democratic integrity and public trust.
• Inadequate Legal Framework: Despite the IT Act, 2000 and DPDP Act, 2023, there is no comprehensive law specifically addressing deepfake misuse, leaving regulatory gaps.
• Low Digital Literacy and Public Awareness: According to McAfee (2023), 47% of Indians have encountered or been victims of deepfakes, while 70% cannot distinguish AI-generated voices from real ones.
  • This lack of awareness increases societal vulnerability and erodes trust in digital communication.

Further Steps India Can Adopt

• Stringent Legal Definitions and Regulations: Clearly define “synthetically generated content” and criminalise malicious deepfake use, similar to the EU’s AI Act and UK’s Online Safety Bill.
• Mandatory Content Labelling and Metadata Embedding: Enforce watermarking, digital signatures, and machine-readable metadata for AI-generated content, ensuring traceability and authenticity.
• Establish Specialised Regulatory Bodies: Create dedicated institutions akin to the FTC (US) or ICO (UK) to monitor AI compliance and enforcement.
• Invest in Technological Solutions: Promote indigenous AI-based detection algorithms, blockchain verification, and content authenticity platforms for real-time monitoring.
• International Collaboration: Join global alliances like INTERPOL’s Cybercrime Directorate to share data, best practices, and threat intelligence.
• Encourage Ethical AI Development: Incentivise developers to adopt responsible AI standards and self-regulatory codes, ensuring transparency and accountability.
• Public Awareness Campaigns: Expand initiatives like Cyber Jagrookta Diwas to educate citizens about deepfake identification and verification techniques.

Conclusion:

The rise of deepfakes and AI-driven misinformation demands a vigilant, multi-dimensional response integrating legal, technological, and societal measures. Moving forward, India must strengthen international cooperation, invest in detection technologies, enhance digital literacy, and refine regulatory frameworks to safeguard democracy, privacy, and public trust in the digital age.