Tighter rules to be notified soon under IT Act: MoS IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar after Tendulkar flags deepfake video

In a post on X, Tendulkar mentioned the doctored video - where he is seen promoting a gaming application - and expressed concerns about the misuse of technology.

New Delhi: After legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar flagged his deepfake video doing the rounds, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar slammed deepfakes as a threat to the safety and trust of Indian users, saying the government will soon notify tighter rules under the IT Act to ensure compliance by platforms.

In the fake video, Tendulkar is seen promoting a gaming application saying his daughter Sara uses it to make daily gains to the tune of Rs 1.8 lakh, by predicting the outcome of the game.

Tendulkar took to X on Monday and said, "These videos are fake. It is disturbing to see rampant misuse of technology. Request everyone to report videos, ads & apps like these in large numbers. Social Media platforms need to be alert and responsive to complaints. Swift action from their end is crucial to stopping the spread of misinformation and deepfakes."

Responding to this, Minister of State for Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar said, "Thank you @sachin_rt for this tweet. #DeepFakes and misinformation powered by #AI are a threat to Safety & Trust of Indian users and represents harm & legal violation that platforms hv to prevent and take down. Recent Advisory by @GoI_MeitY requires platforms to comply with this 100%. We will be shortly notifying tighter rules under IT Act to ensure compliance by platforms," the Minister said.

Sachin Tendulkar is not the first celebrity to be affected by deepfakes. Bollywood stars like Rashmika Mandanna, Alia Bhatt, Priyanka Chopra, etc., have been affected by deepfakes.

Deepfakes refer to synthetic or doctored media that is digitally manipulated and altered to convincingly misrepresent or impersonate someone using a form of artificial intelligence or AI. The Centre has asked platforms to act decisively on deepfakes and align their terms of use and community guidelines as per the IT Rules and laws.