India takes on Deepfakes: New regulations in the works
Author: BI Bureau
New Delhi: In response to the escalating threat of deepfake technology, the Indian government is gearing up to introduce new regulations to counter the spread of synthetic content online. A recent meeting between IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, social media platforms, technology companies, an industry body, and academics emphasized the urgency of addressing the challenges posed by deepfakes, which the minister referred to as a "new threat to democracy."
Deepfake videos, known for manipulating and superimposing a person's features onto someone else's to create realistic yet entirely fabricated content, have become a global concern. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking during the G20 virtual summit, highlighted the negative impact of artificial intelligence, specifically citing a deepfake video featuring himself engaging in Garba during Navratri festivities.
https://youtu.be/lJNKbk3kfgg?feature=shared
Expressing concern about the erosion of trust in society and institutions due to deepfakes, Vaishnaw stressed the need for immediate action. The government plans to introduce regulations, whether in the form of an act, new rules, or amendments to existing regulations. The focus will be on imposing penalties on both creators and platforms hosting deepfake content, with an emphasis on measures such as watermarking AI-generated content, deploying deepfake detection tools, and establishing rules for data bias, privacy, and safeguards against concentration.
To empower citizens, Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar announced that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) would assist users in easily reporting violations of IT rules and filing FIRs against social media platforms for objectionable content, including deepfakes.
The urgency to address deepfake threats extends beyond politics into various sectors, including finance. Recent incidents, such as an attempted scam on a stock market platform and financial losses due to deepfake voice calls, underscore the need for comprehensive regulations to protect individuals and businesses from the misuse of artificial intelligence.
Celebrities like Rashmika Mandanna, Katrina Kaif, and Kajol have become victims of deepfake videos, highlighting the personal and professional risks associated with this technology. Even industrialist Ratan Tata has not been immune to the potential harm posed by deepfakes. These cases underscore the critical nature of the government's actions to combat deepfakes.
As the government takes steps to address deepfakes, social media companies must adhere to guidelines for identifying and removing misleading content. Prime Minister Modi's call for global collaboration on AI regulations reflects the interconnected nature of the challenge posed by deepfake technology. The commitment to ensuring the safety of AI while promoting its responsible integration underscores India's dedication to navigating the challenges of the digital age and fostering a secure technological landscape for the benefit of the global population. /BI/
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The exports of agricultural commodities from March to June 2020 shot up by 23.24 percent on-year to Rs 25,552.7 crores.
As the economy comes to a standstill amid the coronavirus-led lockdown, India’s agriculture sector has taken the baton of economic growth in its hands. The exports of agricultural commodities from March to June 2020 shot up by 23.24 percent on-year to Rs 25,552.7 crores, according to the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare. The government said that self-reliant agriculture is critical for the goal of an Atmanirbhar Bharat and for this, agricultural export is extremely important as besides earning foreign exchange for the country, the exports help farmers, producers, and exporters to take advantage of the wider international market and increase their income.
The surge in exports has also resulted in increased production in the farm sector by increasing coverage area and productivity. The share of India’s agricultural exports and imports in the world agriculture trade in 2017 was 2.27 percent and 1.90 percent, respectively. Even during the difficult time of pandemic lockdown, India took care not to disturb the world food supply chain and continued to export, the government said.
Ministry of Agriculture has prepared a comprehensive action plan for the promotion of Agri trade; the twofold approach focuses on boosting Agri Export with emphasis on value addition and action plan for Import Substitution. Recently, the Agriculture sector has witnessed a series of reforms, giving more choices to the farmers to sell their produce at competitive rates.
To mention a few, the Export strategy focuses on the export promotion of fast-evolving niche markets of Wellness food/ Health-conscious food/nutraceuticals, Development of “Brand India” in campaign mode to help penetration into new foreign markets and of new products which automatically translates into higher value realization, Gulf countries have been identified as focus destination to increase the market share which is a strong market for India though presently India caters to only 10-12% share of their total imports. A product-market matrix has been made containing a list of products of strength that could be expanded in new geographies and a list of known markets which can be introduced with newer products.
At the behest of the Department of Agricultural Cooperation & Farmers’ Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture, product-specific Export Promotion Forums have been created to lead Agri exports to new heights. Each Export Promotion Forum shall be having exporters of the related commodity as its members along with official members representing concerned Ministries/Departments of the Central and State Governments. Chairman APEDA shall be the chairman of each of these forums. The forums will meet at least once every two months, to discuss recommendations on issues pertaining to the export.
The recommendations of the forum will be placed in the product committee / Authority of APEDA. The Forum will keep in close contact with the concerned organization of the Ministry of Agriculture such as MIDH, Extension, NPPO, etc., DGFT, Ministry of Civil Aviation, MoFPI, etc. to further the interest of agricultural export.
