India is drafting rules to detect and limit the spread of deepfake media, a senior lawmaker said on Thursday. India's Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the ministry held a meeting with all large social media companies and academics earlier in the day and reached a consensus that a regulation is needed to better combat the proliferation and spread of deepfake videos.
"These companies share our concerns and they understand that this (deepfake) is not free speech. They understand that it is very harmful to society," he said. "They understand the need for tighter regulation, so we agreed to start drafting regulations today."
He said the ministry would prepare "clear actionable projects" within 10 days on how to combat deepfakes. He said social media companies will hold follow-up meetings with the ministry on the issue in early December.
Deepfake news is a type of synthetic media that often uses artificial intelligence to realistically replace a person's likeness or voice. While sometimes entertaining, there are many ethical issues surrounding consent and potential misinformation. The IT ministry took the step after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed concerns about deepfake videos last week.
"Deepfakes can spread faster without any checks, and they can go viral within minutes of being uploaded. That's why we need to take some very urgent steps to strengthen social trust and protect our democracy."