Supreme Court Halts Gujarat HC Proceedings on Deepfake Regulation

• •Supreme Court stays Gujarat HC proceedings on deepfake regulation.
• •Union government seeks case transfer to the Supreme Court.
• •524 IT intermediaries onboarded to the SAHYOG portal for compliance.

The Supreme Court of India has stayed proceedings in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) before the Gujarat High Court concerning the regulation of deepfake and AI-generated content on digital platforms. This decision follows a plea from the Union government to transfer the case to the Supreme Court. The Gujarat High Court had previously issued notices to major social media intermediaries, including Meta and Google, to respond to affidavits regarding compliance with the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules. The court emphasized the need for strict enforcement of existing laws to prevent misuse of digital platforms. As of now, 524 IT intermediaries have been onboarded to the SAHYOG portal, although some, like X (formerly Twitter), have not fully complied. The court's interim order mandates that intermediaries ensure timely responses to statutory notices for content removal. The case highlights ongoing concerns about the impact of deepfake technology on public order and democratic institutions.