Delhi High Court Directs Central Government to Expedite Investigation into Deepfake Threat

The Delhi High Court has directed the Central Government to nominate the committee members constituted to investigate the dangers of 'deepfake'. The Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology had informed the High Court that a committee was formed on November 20 to investigate the cases related to 'deepfake'. The Central Government has said that it is actively taking measures to deal with the issues of deepfake technology and find solutions to them. Hearing this matter, a bench of Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela directed the government to nominate the members of the committee within a week.

Hearing the case, the Delhi High Court bench said in its order passed on November 21, "The committee will examine and consider the arguments of the petitioners. The committee will also consider the regulations and legal measures applicable in other countries including the European Union (EU)." The court directed the committee to invite experiences and suggestions from certain stakeholders, such as intermediary platforms, telecom service providers, victims of deepfakes and websites that create deepfakes, before submitting its report.

The bench said, "The committee will submit its report as soon as possible, preferably within three months." The next hearing in this case has been scheduled for March 24. Let us tell you that the Delhi High Court is hearing two petitions filed against the non-regulation of deepfakes and the danger of its possible misuse.

One of the petitioners Journalist Rajat Sharma seeks regulation of deepfake technology in the country and directions to block public access to apps and software that enable the creation of such content. The second petition has been filed by lawyer Chaitanya Rohilla against the uncontrolled use of deepfakes and artificial intelligence.

Rajat Sharma said in the PIL that the spread of deepfake technology poses a major threat to various aspects of society, including misinformation and disinformation campaigns, and undermines the integrity of public discourse and the democratic process. The PIL states that the use of this technology poses a risk of fraud, identity theft and blackmail, damage to personal reputation, privacy and security, loss of trust in the media and public institutions, and violation of intellectual property rights and privacy rights.