Maharashtra govt asks police to take strict action against deepfake creators

The Maharashtra government on Friday directed the state police to take stern action against those creating deepfake content, saying such content is a cause for concern during election season.

According to an official release, the volume of deepfakes and doctored photos being circulated on social media and digital media has risen during the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

Deepfake is most typically a video of a person in which their appearance and voice has been digitally altered so that they look like somebody else, and even when their appearance stays the same, they can be made to say something which they originally did not.

Such manipulated content is being created using “machine learning (ML) or artificial intelligence (AI)”, the Maharashtra government release said, adding that the use of such technology during elections is cause for concern.

Deepfake content creates misunderstanding and is defamatory, said the government, and asked the director-general of police (DGP) to curb such practices and ensure a clean and transparent electoral process. The police have been asked to take stern action against “anti-social elements making and circulating such content”, the release said.

The order comes days after Mumbai Police registered a case against a Youth Congress social media handle and 16 others for sharing an alleged deepfake video of Union home minister Amit Shah.

In the video, the BJP leader was purportedly seen announcing the curtailment of reservation rights for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.

Last month, the Maharashtra police had booked an X user for allegedly uploading a deepfake video in which Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh appeared to be making an appeal to vote for the Congress.