With the increasing use of technology in the digital age, the threat of cybercrime, deepfakes, and misleading fake news is rapidly becoming more severe. The central government has now adopted a very strict stance to curb this objectionable and false propaganda spreading on the country’s digital platforms. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology recently held a high-level and crucial meeting with top officials of social media giant Meta. During this meeting, the government clearly directed Meta to make immediate and major improvements to its platform’s algorithms to prevent the spontaneous spread of fake visuals and deepfakes.
The government’s strict demands: changes to the algorithm and warnings of immediate action
Ministry officials presented their clear demands to Meta, emphasizing that mere assurances will no longer suffice. The government has directed that all requests submitted by government agencies to remove objectionable content must be acted upon immediately, without delay. Furthermore, fundamental changes must be made to algorithms to prevent AI-generated fake images, morphed videos, and misleading content from being automatically promoted or circulated. The government’s primary objective is to ensure that India’s stringent data localization regulations and IT laws are fully complied with, ensuring that the country’s digital security and social harmony are not compromised.
Meta admits shortcomings, another important meeting will be held next week
During this high-level meeting with the government, Meta’s technical team detailed the steps being taken to address harmful content on its platforms. The company indirectly acknowledged that there are some shortcomings in its existing systems and security mechanisms, which are being addressed with technical measures. However, government officials expressed dissatisfaction with Meta’s arguments and made it clear that concrete and consequential changes must be seen on the ground. According to sources, another round of meetings between the two sides is expected next week on this sensitive and serious issue, which is being closely watched across the country.
The company has been embroiled in trouble before, with increased liability under IT rules.
It’s worth noting that over the past few months, the Indian government has been cracking down on Meta and other social media giants. The government has previously expressed strong objections to serious issues such as child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and unauthorized deepfake videos, prompting a public apology from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Earlier this year, the central government made stringent amendments to the IT Rules, significantly increasing social media companies’ accountability for AI-generated and misleading content.