75% Indians have viewed some deepfake content in last 12 months, says McAfee survey

More than 75% of Indians present online and surveyed by cybersecurity company McAfee have seen some form of deep fake content over the last 12 months, while at least 38% of the respondents surveyed have encountered a deep fake scam during this time, the company said in a survey released on Thursday.

During the 12-month period under the survey, every fourth Indian came across political deep fake content which was later found to be fake, McAfee said. There has also been a rise in the cases of deep fake scams which impersonate not only users but prominent public figures across spheres such as business, politics, entertainment, and sports as well, the survey said.

“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,” McAfee said.

In India, the discussion around deepfakes gained momentum after a short clip of actor Rashmika Mandanna went viral last year. A week later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also flagged the possible harms that could arise out of the misuse of the technology.

In the weeks following Modi’s warning on deepfakes, the government issued advisories to all social media and internet intermediaries asking them to apply strict standards on controlling the spread of such content, with a warning that additional rules could follow if the advisory was not heeded to.