Hearing on ‘Deepfake’ case in Delhi High Court
The Delhi High Court has directed the Central Government to nominate members of the committee formed to investigate the menace of ‘deepfakes’. The Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology had informed the High Court regarding this that a committee was constituted on November 20 to investigate the cases related to ‘Deepfakes’. Regarding this, the Central Government had said that it is actively taking measures to deal with the issues related to deepfake technology and find solutions to them. Hearing the matter, a bench of Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela directed the government to nominate the committee members within a week.
Deepfake case reached Delhi High Court
The Delhi High Court bench hearing the case, in its order passed on November 21, said, “The committee will examine and consider the arguments of the petitioners. The Committee will also consider regulations and legal measures applicable in other countries, including the European Union (EU). The court directed the committee to invite experiences and suggestions of certain stakeholders, such as intermediary platforms, telecom service providers, victims of deepfakes and websites creating deepfakes, before submitting its report.
Rajat Sharma filed PIL
“The committee will submit its report as soon as possible, preferably within three months,” the bench said. The next hearing in this case has been fixed for March 24. Let us tell you that the Delhi High Court is hearing two petitions filed against the non-regulation of deepfake and the danger of its possible misuse. One of these petitions has been filed by India TV Chairman and Editor-in-Chief Rajat Sharma. The petition 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.
What did Rajat Sharma say in the PIL?
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 media and public institutions and violation of intellectual property rights and privacy rights.
