Congress asks Maharashtra govt to prepare legal, regulatory framework to deal with deepfakes

The Maharashtra Congress demanded that the state government set up a committee to prepare a legal and regulatory framework to deal with deepfakes generated by artificial intelligence.

In a post on X, the party’s state unit general secretary Sachin Sawant said a separate machinery is needed to identify deepfakes and expose them.

The issue of deepfakes has come to the fore after one such video of actress Rashmika Mandanna was found circulating on social media platforms earning criticism from several politicians and celebrities.

“Celebrities like Rashmika Mandana and some international politicians have borne the brunt of deepfake attacks, and such a situation can also malign the common man and destroy him for life,” the Congress leader said.

These kinds of attacks can create chaos in the field of politics, where the discourse has already hit a low, he said, adding that there is also a threat to the law and order situation due to rumours and fake news.

Sawant tagged Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in his post urging them to intervene and take preventive steps.

Earlier this week, the Centre issued an advisory to major social media companies to identify misinformation, deepfakes and other content that violates rules and remove those within 36 hours after being reported to them.