The Center will introduce Bill, who criminalizes digital arrests and deepfakes generated by AI | Today’s news
The Center told the Supreme Court on Tuesday that it plans to introduce a bill in the ongoing session of Parliament that would make digital arrests and AI-generated deepfakes distinct offences, according to a Times of India report.
The move comes after the Supreme Court found that existing laws do not specifically deal with these offences. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the court that the proposed legislation would classify AI-generated deepfakes as a separate offense with specific legal consequences.
The Supreme Court requires a specialized law
During the suo motu proceedings on the digital arrest scam, a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohan observed that while the court has taken a strict stand against digital arrest scams, including denial of bail in such cases, there is no specific criminal law that deals with these offences.
Addressing Attorney General R. Venkataramani, the court said, “The government may have to formally define digital arrest in the criminal laws.”
The judges further noted that digital arrest fraud involves elements of extortion, robbery and organized crime and asked whether the government should create a separate offense with stiff penalties, including a provision to freeze assets of the accused.
Justice Bagchi said that making and enforcing new criminal laws was within the purview of the government.
“We now have deepfakes which can be used to deceive people or to cheat and impersonate. Using our exclusive powers under Article 142 of the Constitution, we can neither define an offense nor create a new offence,” he said.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said the Center has consulted him on the matter and is likely to introduce the Bill during the current session of Parliament.
Attorney General Venkataramani said coordinated action through an inter-departmental committee has significantly reduced the number of cases of digital fraudulent arrests. He added that the panel is identifying loopholes in the existing system and working on measures to remove them.
Increased focus on digital crime
The Supreme Court also directed the CBI to investigate the digital arrest cases across the country.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for WhatsApp, told the court that the platform was working closely with the government to curb the misuse of its services in such scams.
