Lok Sabha introduces Bill to regulate deepfakes and mandate consent

The Lok Sabha on Friday saw the introduction of a Private Member's Bill aimed at creating a clear legal framework to regulate deepfake content in India.

The Regulation of Deepfake Bill was introduced by Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde and seeks to protect individuals by requiring prior consent before anyone is depicted in deepfake content.

The Bill highlights the growing misuse of deepfake technology for harassment, deception, and misinformation. It states that the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence has made deepfakes a powerful tool for media manipulation. While the technology can be used in areas such as education, entertainment, and creative industries, its malicious use poses risks to privacy, public trust, and national security.

To address these challenges, the Bill proposes penalties for individuals who create or disseminate deepfake content with harmful intent. It also calls for the establishment of a Deepfake Task Force that will focus on national security implications, privacy concerns, civic participation, and the potential impact of deepfakes on elections.

The proposed task force will work with academic institutions and the private sector to develop technologies that detect manipulated content and strengthen credibility in digital media. The Bill further recommends creating a dedicated fund to support public and private initiatives aimed at detecting and deterring advanced image manipulation.

A Private Member's Bill allows lawmakers who are not ministers to highlight gaps in the legal framework and bring attention to issues that may not be addressed in government legislation.