Deepfakes worry Indians: 1 in 2 surveyed say they watched multiple fake videos; 7 in 10 want them criminalised
According to the survey, one in two Indians said they had watched multiple fake videos in the last 12 months, while seven in 10 believe creating deepfake videos should be a criminal offence.
A new survey indicates that half of the people in India claim to have watched over 10% of the videos they consumed on social media, OTT platforms, and WhatsApp over the past year were found to be deepfakes. The poll, conducted by LocalCircles, also reveals that seven out of ten respondents believe that generating deepfakes should be considered a criminal offense.
This matter comes to the forefront as lawmakers ponder a new bill to make digital arrest scams and AI-generated deepfakes separate criminal offenses. The proposal follows the Supreme Court's comment that existing laws do not address these issues directly. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court that the upcoming legislation would categorize AI-generated deepfakes as a unique crime with distinct legal repercussions.
The proposed law builds upon the IT Rules that went into effect on February 20, 2026. These rules mandate social media platforms and other intermediaries to visibly label AI-generated content and eliminate illegal synthetic media within a specified timeframe.
Written by urgent.news from Live Mint's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
