Parliamentary Panel’s 254th Report Exhorts Legal Reform for Deepfakes and Synthetic Media

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure | SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology | Ministry of Home Affairs

In its 254th report titled “Cyber Crime – Ramifications, Protection and Prevention,” tabled in August 2025, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs identified deepfakes—AI-generated synthetic content—as a rapidly ascending threat in cybercrime, used in impersonation, fraud, revenge, and harassment. Noting the inadequacy of existing laws to distinguish between synthetic and user-generated content, the Committee urged explicit legislative safeguards.

The Committee has recommended that MeitY establish uniform technical standards for media provenance, enabling verification of authenticity and discouraging spread of manipulated content. It has also assigned a key monitoring role to CERT-In to detect and report deepfakes promptly. Support for domestic tools was raised, referencing the Deepfake Detection Tool developed by C-DAC, which reportedly achieves 89% accuracy in global benchmarks. Additional recommendations include reworking grievance redressal protocols with standard timelines, re-evaluating safe-harbour provisions to ensure platform accountability, and imposing tiered penalties for non-compliance.

Follow the full report here:

Parliamentary Panel’s 254th Report

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