Tech3 | Social media cos get 7-day ultimatum to tackle deepfakes; The rise of the operator founders; and more

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In today’s newsletter: 

·         Social media cos get 7-day ultimatum to tackle deepfakes

·         Why investors love operator founders

·         Apple officials to visit India for hacking probe

Social media cos get 7-day ultimatum to tackle deepfakes

To make a new regulation or not, that is the question.

·         The government yesterday proposed introducing a new regulation to address the issue of deepfakes

However, today, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology shifted the responsibility to social media platforms, saying that the existing regulatory framework is sufficient to combat deepfakes. 

·         The ministry also advised platforms to modify their terms and conditions to align with India's regulations

Driving the news: Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Rajeev Chandrasekhar, has directed platforms to update their terms and conditions within 7 days to ensure alignment with Indian laws and regulations. 

·         Platforms were reminded of their legal obligations under Rule 3 (1)(b) of the IT Rules and Section 69A of the IT Act

What is Rule 3 (1)(b)?: Rule 3 (1)(b) of the IT Rules prohibits various types of content on online platforms, including "misleading or deceptive information, including impersonation or spreading false facts, including false information about the Central government."

·         The government has stated that deepfakes fall under this regulation

Tell me more: Under Rule 7 of the IT Rules, non-compliance with the rules will result in the loss of safe harbour protection. 

·         To address this issue, the government is planning to appoint a Rule 7 officer

·         The officer will be responsible for developing a mechanism for users to file complaints related to deepfakes

Additionally, MeitY will assist users in filing FIRs against platforms that fail to comply with the rules.

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