MoS IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar flays Sachin Tendulkar’s deepfake video

Minister of State for IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar has condemned a deepfake video of veteran cricketer Sachin Tendulkar who is seen promoting an online game through AI-generated fake video and audio.

“#DeepFakes and misinformation powered by #AI are a threat to Safety&Trust of Indian users and represents harm & legal violation that platforms have to prevent and take down,” the minister said in a post on X quoting Tendulkar who also confirmed that the video is fake.

The clip that surfaced on social media on Monday shows Tendulkar advertising about an online game called “Skyward Aviator Quest'' where users can earn upto Rs 1,80,000 per day by playing.



“Recent Advisory by @GoI_MeitY requires platforms to comply wth this 100%. We will be shortly notifying tighter rules under IT Act to ensure compliance by platforms,” Chandrasekhar posted.


Disturbed by the event, the former cricketer also cautioned the public about the misuse of technology for spreading misinformation.

“Request everyone to report videos, ads & apps like these in large numbers. Social Media platforms need to be alert and responsive to complaints. Swift action from their end is crucial to stopping the spread of misinformation and deepfakes,” Tendulkar said in a post on X.

ET had reported this month that the government has warned social media and internet intermediaries that failure to act on deep fake, synthetically altered content and 11 other user harms mentioned under the Information Technology (IT) Rules of 2021 could attract action under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) apart from the IT Rules, a senior official said.

A new amendment to the IT Rules to ensure social media and other platforms’ compliance on deep fakes and other issues to ensure the trust and safety of citizens “is actively under consideration,” he said.