Most Indians have come across deepfake content online and worry about cyberbullying: Report

Almost a quarter of Indians surveyed were exposed to deepfakes with political content, said the report by McAfee

McAfee noted that the actual number of impacted people could be much higher [File] | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Around 22% of Indians surveyed said they recently came across a political deepfake they later discovered to be fake, shared the global security software company McAfee in a report, based on research carried out earlier this year.

55% of those said that cyberbullying was what worried them about deepfakes, while 52% said creating fake pornographic content, 49% said facilitating scams, 44% said impersonating public figures, 37% said undermining public trust in media, 31% said influencing elections, and 27% said distorting historical facts, reported McAfee.

The launch of new large language models and text-to-image generators last year made it not only easier but also far cheaper to create false media and spread it online, while social media platforms struggle to identify and flag such content.

McAfee noted that the actual number of impacted people could be much higher due to them not realising they were fooled by deepfakes and failing to report the same.

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While Big Tech platforms are gearing up to have AI protocols in place by the time the U.S. elections come around, the same cannot be said for India’s voters.

“There has been a massive surge in cases of Deepfake scams that impersonate not only consumers but also prominent public figures across spheres such as business, politics, entertainment, and sports. This issue is magnified in India, as many people unknowingly forward deepfake content on social media, mainly WhatsApp and Telegram groups, without verifying its origin, causing a multiplier effect. Additionally, there are paid troll armies that facilitate such acts,” said the report by McAfee.

Indian celebrities including Rashmika Mandanna, Aamir Khan, Ranveer Singh, Sachin Tendulkar, and Virat Kohli have all been the subject of deepfakes.