India well-equipped to tackle evolving online harms, cybercrimes: Centre tells Parliament
MoS Prasada said on Friday that the government is conscious of the threats posed by deepfakes powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI), including synthetic audio, video and text.
Such content can seriously impact a person's dignity, reputation, and right to privacy. It also raises concerns about platform accountability, he added, according to the Ministry of Electronics & IT.
The MoS informed that to combat the rising threat of deepfakes and ensure an open, safe, and accountable cyberspace, the Government of India has established a comprehensive legal and institutional framework.
Several existing laws address various aspects of AI-generated harms, including the Information Technology Act, 2000 (IT Act), which criminalises identity theft, impersonation, privacy violations, and the circulation of obscene content. It also empowers authorities to issue blocking orders (Section 69A) and takedown notices (Section 79) to intermediaries.
Complementing this are the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, updated in 2022 and 2023, which mandate digital platforms to exercise due diligence, prevent the hosting of unlawful content, and ensure accountability.
The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act) adds another layer by requiring data fiduciaries, including AI firms, to process personal data lawfully and with user consent. Deepfakes using personal data without consent can be penalised under this Act. Further, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS) addresses misinformation and organised cybercrimes through Sections 353 and 111.
The Government has also issued advisories (in December 2023 and March 2024) directing intermediaries to remove impersonation and deepfake content, inform users about misleading content, and ensure timely compliance with the Grievance Appellate Committee (GAC) orders.
Intermediaries are also advised to label AI-generated content when outputs are potentially unreliable.
India's broader cyber-ecosystem includes platforms like the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) and its SAHYOG Portal, which enable coordinated removal of unlawful content. Citizens can report incidents through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal or by calling the helpline 1930.
Additionally, CERT-In provides guidance on emerging AI threats, including deepfakes, and conducts public awareness campaigns through initiatives such as Cyber Jagrookta Diwas, National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and Safer Internet Day.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
15 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Police security beefed up at Thrissur MP Suresh Gopi's office amid protests
The police have set up an outpost and deployed security personnel at Union Minister and Thrissur MP Suresh Gopi's office in the city, following mounting criticism over two recent controversies — the arrest of Malayali nuns in Chhattisgarh and the alleged irregularities in the Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency's voter list. The move comes in the wake of opposition protests. Both the Congress and Left Democratic Front (LDF) had alleged that the voter roll for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls was tampered with, adding names of people who were not permanent residents of the constituency. Communist Party of India (CPI) leader and the losing candidate in the election V.S. Sunilkumar echoed the charge, going further to question the conduct of the returning officer. The party had demanded a probe into what it alleged to be a significant electoral fraud in the constituency. District Congress Committee (DCC) president Joseph Tajet claimed that 11 people, including Suresh Gopi's brother, were added to booth number 116, but their names were missing in the most recent voter roll. 'This proves that they were not permanent residents of the constituency,' he alleged. 'Missing from constituency' Meanwhile, KSU Thrissur district president Gokul Guruvayur lodged a complaint with Thrissur East Police stating that Suresh Gopi has been missing from the constituency since the arrest of the nuns in Chhattisgarh. The complaint urged police to find out his whereabouts and who was behind his 'disappearance.'
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
India's past resilience shows the way forward
Peeking into a common citizen's life opens portals to understand a nation's resilience and resolve. So, let's get a glimpse into the life of a common citizen for a better appreciation of India. We'll face challenges in our journey ahead. All we need to do is take a vow to deal with at least one social vice on Independence Day (Bloomberg) The year was 1966. One August afternoon in the city of Mirzapur, the family of a government officer was about to eat lunch when his four-and-a-half-year-old daughter started crying. His six-year-old son followed suit. The red coloured chapatis were the culprit. Their tender age did not stop them from revolting against the foul smell and taste. The wheat we received from the US was meant for poultry feed in that country. Even that was available only to a lucky few. The tribals in Mirzapur survived on scant forest produce. Large parts of India were suffering from a drought that had turned farmland into dust bowls. Records suggest India produced only 72.3 million tonnes of grain in 1965-66. This was the reason Indira Gandhi sought food aid from US president Lyndon B Johnson soon after she became the Prime Minister (PM). In comparison, India is projected to produce 353.95 million tonnes of grain in 2024-25. India's sensational journey from holding a begging bowl to agricultural self-reliance is inspiring and compelling. Indira's predecessor, PM Lal Bahadur Shastri, who led the country during the second Indo-Pak war, coined the slogan 'jai jawan, jai kisan'. However, one of his less discussed clarion calls can inspire even the present generation. He asked people to skip one meal every week as India was facing a grain shortage. My idealistic parents immediately made it their routine and told us children not to waste food, as many didn't have even a few morsels to survive. The practice became our family tradition. Thousands of families still follow the ritual, proving that leaders do have the power to change society. Let's move to 1988. At the Varanasi Railway locomotive factory hospital, a girl was born while PM Rajiv Gandhi was addressing the country from the Red Fort. Her father, a young editor, was serving in another city and received one of the most important pieces of news of his life — only hours later, as all phone lines were either busy or out of order throughout the day. Remembering those days at a time when information travels within seconds to any part of the world is like exploring a pre-historic cave in amazement. Mobile phones and the internet were non-existent then. A fortunate few had landlines. They needed to book a trunk call and wait for hours to get through to another city. Getting a phone connection meant years of waiting or seeking the 'blessings' of a Member of Parliament or the Union communications minister. Today, the same country boasts the second-highest number of mobile phone users in the world after China. Its 50-crore UPI user base is dazzling the world. From tech-savvy professionals in metro cities to the tribals in the jungles of Abhujhmad, the miraculous impact of this technology of transaction is transformative. Recap from 1978 to date. There was a time from the late 1970s through the 1980s when everyone felt the country would be torn asunder. The Kashmir insurgency was a decade away, but Punjab was on the boil. According to a research paper, the Pakistan-backed reign of terror claimed 11,694 lives between 1980 and 2000. A total of 1,784 personnel from Punjab Police and other central police forces either laid down their lives in the line of duty or were grievously injured. In 1982, Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his violent gang took control of the Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple). Two years later, Operation Bluestar was initiated to flush them out of the premises. It led to the assassination of Indira Gandhi by her trusted Sikh bodyguards. Our heads hang in shame when we remember the atrocities meted out to the Sikh community in the aftermath of the Indira assassination. In those fateful months, we felt that the mindless hatred towards Sikhs would snatch this courageous community from our fold. But society closed ranks and showed again that Indians have an amazing ability to course correct voluntarily. In those days, many states in the Northeast were suffering from insurgency. It seemed the country would break apart. Editorial pages would mull over such possibilities on special occasions such as August 15 or January 26. Today, those concerns are part of a fading past. Except for the neighbour-sponsored violence in Kashmir, the scourge of terrorism has been wiped out from the rest of the states. The Maoist insurgency, a clear threat a decade ago, is on it last legs. Our national unity has been painstakingly forged over millennia though we became a political entity merely 78 years ago. On August 15, 1947, we gained Independence from the British and, today, we have surpassed their economy. We will become the third-largest economy in the world in a few years. That's the reason I laugh at people who talk of India breaking apart. Even Donald Trump's threats evoke memories of trials and transformation triggered by Johnson's red wheat. We'll face challenges in our journey ahead. All we need to do is take a vow to deal with at least one social vice on Independence Day. Shashi Shekhar is the editor-in-chief, Hindustan. The views expressed are personal.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
CJI Gavai inaugurates Gauhati high court's permanent bench in Arunachal
Itanagar: Chief Justice of India (CJI) B R Gavai on Sunday inaugurated the newly built permanent bench of the Gauhati high court at Naharlagun, calling it a 'historic step' towards making justice more accessible and affordable in the state and the Northeast. CJI Gavai lauded the Gauhati high court's leadership for expanding judicial access in remote areas. The inauguration was attended by Union minister for parliamentary affairs Kiren Rijiju, Union minister of state for law and justice Arjun Ram Meghwal, chief justice of Gauhati high court Ashutosh Kumar, judges from the Supreme Court, Gauhati high court, and the Itanagar permanent bench, along with several eminent judges from high courts across the country. Addressing the gathering, Gavai advocated decentralisation of judicial services, stressing that justice must be delivered at people's doorsteps. He said the judiciary, legislature and executive are meant to serve every citizen, not just the privileged few. The CJI praised the Gauhati high court's leadership for expanding judicial access in remote areas and lauded Arunachal's cultural richness — home to 26 major tribes and over 100 sub-tribes. 'Preserving and conserving our traditions is a fundamental duty under the Constitution,' he said, adding that progress must not come at the cost of heritage. Quoting B R Ambedkar, he described the Constitution as the 'great granth' of the nation and underlined the importance of Schedules V and VI in safeguarding the rights and culture of tribal communities. 'Political equality without economic and social equality has no value,' he said. Chief minister Pema Khandu called the occasion 'a momentous day in the judicial history of Arunachal Pradesh and India,' describing the state-of-the-art facility as 'a symbol of hope, accessibility, and unwavering pursuit of justice.' The foundation stone for the 19,000-plus square metre structure was laid on August 12, 2018, by Khandu. Despite challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, difficult terrain, long monsoon seasons, and high logistics costs, construction was completed in less than four years at a cost of nearly ₹250 crore. The CM credited the achievement to the collaborative efforts of the Gauhati high court, members of the Bar, state government officials, the PWD, and the contractor. Highlighting the state's progress in judicial infrastructure, Khandu said Arunachal Pradesh had expanded from just two courts in 2016, when he first assumed charge, to 33 functional courts today, with eight added recently and 463 new posts created in the district judiciary. Welfare measures for judicial officers, procedural reforms, and dedicated NDPS courts in Tezu, Khonsa, and Yupia are also underway. 'The inauguration of this court is the fulfilment of a long-cherished dream of our people. It will enhance access to justice, ensure speedy resolution of cases, and strengthen the rule of law in our state,' he said, reaffirming his government's commitment to strengthen the justice delivery system from the high court to district and CJM courts. Gauhati high court chief justice Ashutosh Kumar said the new building reaffirmed the constitutional promise of justice unhampered by geography. 'Let Arunachal be the place where justice comes first without delay, just as it witnesses the first sunrise,' he remarked, describing courts as 'temples of constitutional morality.' Union minister Kiren Rijiju and Supreme Court judges Ujjal Bhuyan, N Kotiswar Singh, Sandeep Mehta and Vijay Bishnoi also hailed the new facility as a leap forward for the frontier state. Spread over more than 19,000 sq metres, the complex houses five modern courtrooms and state-of-the-art facilities, and was built by the public works department, marking a significant step in bridging the justice gap for one of the country's most geographically challenging regions.
