Rajasthan govt issues advisory on protection from Deepfakes

Jaipur, Dec 28 The Rajasthan government on Friday released an advisory on 'Deepfakes' to spread awareness among individuals and organisations about the associated threats and possible ways of prevention.

The advisory focuses on threats and countermeasures to ensure effective cyber hygiene and security among the general public at the ground level.

The identified target audience or potential beneficiaries, according to the advisory, include both individuals as well as organisations.

The advisory was issued in consonance with the cyber security measures or actionable points determined during the third National Conference of Chief Secretaries under the theme "Cyber Security: Emerging Challenges".

The advisory explained Deepfake technology as an application of Artificial Intelligence in the manipulation of videos, images and even audio.

The major risks associated with Deepfake technology are the spread of misinformation, fraud or scams and reputational damage.

Both positive and negative applications of Deepfakes have been identified by the advisory.

While positive applications can be seen in the generation of special effects in movies and engaging or interactive educational content, there are numerous negative uses as well.

There is a risk of financial fraud through impersonation, disinformation to manipulate public opinion, along with emotional and financial extortion through non-consensual explicit content.

The concerned advisory also highlights certain preventive steps which can be referred to by both individuals and organisations to avoid mishaps caused by Deepfake technology and its negative applications.

Individuals and organisations are advised to do cross-referencing for every information and exercise extreme caution in case of personal information.

Certain measures like Multi-Factor Authentication or MFA, strong privacy settings, verification protocols, and consistent security audits can aid the general public in combating the ill effects of Deepfake technology.

On an individual level, the general public is advised to be cautious while sharing any information in the digital space.

It is advised to assess the authenticity of the source of concerned information.

The concerned advisory also provided certain preventive measures meant specifically for organisations.

For organisations dealing with large amounts of company and customer data, it is advised to make use of MFA to ensure secure use, storage and transfer of data.

Organisations are also advised to undertake security audits at regular intervals along with the usage of encrypted modes of communication.

The advisory also suggests the formulation of crisis management plans in case of any mishap.

For further assistance and information, the advisory is available for reference to the general public.

Source: IANS