From policy has movies and even war, the year 2023 has demonstrated that everything we see or hear on the Internet may not be real.
With the constant evolution Artificial intelligence With technology quickly becoming a part of people’s lives, a sharp rise in deepfakes has raised concerns in the country over its potential to influence electoral politics, particularly in the Lok Sabha elections scheduled for next year.
Deepfakes are manipulated videos or other digital depictions that use artificial intelligence to create convincing videos or audio of individuals that they never did or said, posing a risk of spreading misinformation and harm their reputation.
According to the “2023 State of Deepfakes Report” from “Home Security Heroes”, an American web security services company, deepfake videos have increased fivefold since 2019.
In 2023, India has witnessed many disturbing cases related to deepfake videos, like this one. involving actor Rashmika Mandanna, whose face was superimposed on that of a British-Indian social media influencer.
The incident sparked a national debate about the implications of deepfakes and raised alarm about the invasion of privacy and potential for harm. Four people were arrested for making and posting the deepfake video on social media.
It wasn’t just her, other film stars like Alia Bhatt, Kajol, Aishwarya Rai and Katrina Kaif were also targeted by deepfake videos.
A few months ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged the use of artificial intelligence to create deepfakes, saying it could precipitate a major crisis. He urged the media to publicize its misuse and impact.
Modi said he recently suggested to ChatGPT professionals that since products like cigarettes carry health warnings, deepfakes should also contain information.
Pavan Duggal, Supreme Court lawyer and chairman of the International Commission on Cybersecurity Law, said: “This is a new emerging technology that is very quickly becoming a part of people’s lives. More and more people will use deepfakes, not only by cybercriminals, but also by cybercriminals. also in all kinds of human activities, including electoral processes. » “You don’t have to be Rashmika Mandana, Katrina Kaif or Alia Bhatt. We will soon start realizing that there will be deepfakes on normal Internet users,” he said.
Duggal expressed concern that since deepfakes can now be created with the flick of a switch using online tools, many of which are available for free, “we’re going to see a lot more poisoning of the stream of data across the entire cyber ecosystem. .
“We’re already seeing a lot of deepfake videos being posted on porn sites. This is going to become a huge challenge,” he added.
Globally, deepfakes have been used to shape narratives around conflicts such as those in Ukraine and Gaza. In India, the worrying factor is their potential use in elections.
During the just-concluded parliamentary elections, deepfake videos not only targeted individual political leaders but also attempted to influence public narratives. Deepfakes targeting public figures like YS Sharmila and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan have emerged as potential threats to electoral politics.
As next year’s general election approaches, the severity of the situation has captured the attention of lawmakers and technology experts.
“For a country like ours, the largest democracy in the world, deepfakes and the misinformation they represent are certainly a very problematic issue for the conduct of secure, free and fair elections,” said Rajeev Chandrashekhar, Minister of Justice. ‘State responsible for electronics and electronics. Computer science.
Amid growing concerns over deepfakes, the government has ordered all social media platforms to comply with IT rules, as companies have been mandated to inform users in clear terms about banned content, and warned that violations would result in legal consequences.
The IT Ministry will closely monitor the compliance of intermediaries (social media and digital platforms) in the coming weeks and decide on further changes to the IT rules or law if and when necessary, an official statement said.
The missive highlights the government’s hardening stance on the issue, amid growing concerns over AI-fueled disinformation-Deepfakes.
However, experts say the government may need to do more to ensure the impact of evolving these technologies is regulated.
“The Indian government realized the need to pass a data privacy law. This law exists. It must now be expanded to include the potential misuse of AI and deepfake so that it can protect data citizens and businesses against such misuses across the world,” said Pankit Desai, co-founder and CEO of cybersecurity company Sequretek.
