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

Indian government plans to tighten rules under the IT Act to combat deepfakes, which are seen as a threat to user safety and trust.

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

Taking to X, the Minister of State for IT and Electronics thanked Mr. Tendulkar for flagging the deepfake video and said "#DeepFakes and misinformation powered by #AI are a threat to Safety&Trust of Indian users and represents harm & legal violation that platforms have to prevent and takedown".

Mr. Chandrasekhar said that a recent advisory by the IT Ministry requires platforms to fully comply with this.

"We will be shortly notifying tighter rules under the IT Act to ensure compliance by platforms," the Minister said.

The fake video shows Mr. Tendulkar talking about the merits of the application, saying he did not know that money-making has become so easy and that his daughter uses the platform.

Mr. Tendulkar posted the video along with a message in which he expressed concern about the misuse of technology.