Deepfake Scams: The New Frontier of Cybercrime and the Need for Proactive Regulation
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: Science and Technology (Artificial Intelligence, Deepfake technology, Cryptocurrency); Current events of national and international importance; Social Justice (Digital Literacy).
Mains:
General Studies Paper 2 (Governance): Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability.
General Studies Paper 3 (S&T and Security): Awareness in the fields of IT, Computers, Artificial Intelligence; Basics of cyber security; Money-laundering and its prevention; Challenges to internal security through communication networks, role of media and social networking sites.
Key Highlights from the News
Deepfake, fake videos created using Artificial Intelligence (AI), are widely used for financial scams in India.
The latest example is a doctor in Hyderabad losing 20 lakh rupees after watching a fake video showing Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman promoting an investment scheme.
Factors contributing to the growth of these scams:
Low technical literacy among the public.
Regulatory gaps in areas like Cryptocurrency.
Passive response of social media platforms.
Instead of proactive detection and removal of such fraudulent content, social media companies like Instagram typically take action only when users complain.
The article suggests three solutions: strong government regulations, widespread and continuous public awareness, and increased accountability for social media platforms.
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