To address the growing challenges posed by AI-powered deepfakes, cyber crimes and misinformation, the central government told Rajya Sabha on Friday that it has developed a comprehensive cyber response framework to tackle rising online threats.
Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, Jitin Prasada, outlined that the government’s approach combines legal provisions, institutional mechanisms and public awareness efforts aimed at ensuring a safe and trusted cyberspace.
According to the minister, key laws such as the Information Technology Act, 2000 (IT Act), the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act) and the recently enacted Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS) form the legal basis to address offences including identity theft, impersonation, privacy violations and misinformation, including content generated through deepfakes.
The government stated it has updated the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, which require social media intermediaries to exercise due diligence in removing unlawful or misleading content, with particular emphasis on synthetic media. These rules mandate timely removal of unlawful content, dissemination of user awareness notices, grievance redressal mechanisms and submission of compliance reports by platforms with large user bases.
Institutionally, the government said India operates a multi-tiered cyber ecosystem that includes the Grievance Appellate Committees (GACs), Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), CERT-In and the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, which facilitate coordinated action, reporting and enforcement across states.
The minister further highlighted that advisories issued in 2023 and 2024 have strengthened platform accountability in identifying and curbing the spread of deepfakes and related misinformation.
Additionally, the government runs ongoing cyber awareness initiatives such as Cyber Security Awareness Month, Safer Internet Day and Cyber Jagrookta Diwas to educate citizens and bolster cyber resilience.
The government submitted that this integrated framework, combining legislation, technology-neutral rules, institutional coordination and public outreach, positions India to effectively address the evolving challenges posed by cyber crimes and AI-driven online harms.
