The Government of India has taken action against AI-generated content shared on social media. In the recent development, the government has passed a new rule where social media platforms need to clearly mark any content made or altered by AI. It is not just about tagging on the AI label, but every social media platform will have to add visible tags and metadata so that anyone can spot AI-generated stuff at a glance. This comes as part of a bigger update to digital laws, and it is meant to help people to differentiate between fake and real content – images, videos, voice notes – as the difference is certainly unbeatable. Also, the platforms will have to remove the objectionable posts within 3 hours of being flagged.
PTI reported that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has put together these new draft amendments for the Information Technology Rules, 2021. The rules do not just target labels, but they further push platforms to use automated tools that catch and block illegal, sexually exploitative or misleading AI content before it gets viral or spreads to the masses.
About the new government rule for AI-generated content
- Any AI-generated content will need to have a clear label or must have embedded metadata showing it’s artificial.
- Social media platforms cannot let these tags get hidden or removed—the ID has to stick.
- For visuals, the label should cover at least 10 per cent of the image, and for audio or video, it has to show up during the first 10 per cent of the clip.
- That way, people will not have to guess if something’s real.
- Any objectionable post, when flagged, has to be pulled down within 3 hours.
Further security update
- Social media platforms further need to ask users if what they are uploading is authentic or AI-generated. Only after that, they will actually check those claims with their own verification tools.
- Automated systems have to scan for illegal or deceptive AI content to keep it off the platform.
- And every three months, users will get a reminder about the penalties for breaking these AI rules, just to drive the point home.
This is a big upgrade in the world, which is driven by content and sharing it on various social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X (which used to be Twitter).
Before encouraging people to be transparent about AI, now the law is taking over for security; no more voluntary disclosure, just mandatory transparency.
High-profile deepfake incidents surfaced to damage reputations
This government mandate came after a bunch of high-profile deepfake incidents (videos and audio that look real but are not) surfaced online, used to mislead or damage reputations. With elections coming up in Bihar next year, the Election Commission told political parties to label any AI-made campaign content. Officials worry that fake media could mess with the democratic process. The government has not been shy about this, either; they have even ordered platforms like X (formerly known as Twitter) to quickly remove obscene or abusive AI-generated content from the platform.
Reported by PTI