Parliamentary Panel Calls for Licensing, Labels and Tougher Fines to Curb AI Fake News

Parliamentary panel seeks legal and tech framework against AI-generated fake news

A parliamentary committee has urged the government to establish legal and technological mechanisms to trace, identify, and prosecute sources of AI-generated fake news. The panel warns that AI is now a dual-use tool: it helps detect misinformation while also producing it at scale.

The draft report, chaired by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey and submitted to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, is expected to be tabled in the next session. While the recommendations are not binding, they often guide policy and enforcement priorities.

Key recommendations

• Inter-ministerial coordination led by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and MeitY for a unified response.
• Inter-ministerial consultation on licensing requirements for AI content creators.
• Mandatory labeling of AI-generated videos and content across platforms.
• Stronger penal provisions, higher fines, and clearer accountability for fake news dissemination.
• Mandatory fact-checking mechanisms and internal ombudsmen in print, digital, and electronic media, built through consensus with media bodies.

What this means for legal and compliance teams

Expect a shift from platform-only liability to shared accountability across creators, distributors, and enabling vendors. If licensing and labeling move forward, compliance will require policy, process, and audit trails-not just tech tools.

• Policy exposure: Update misinformation, UGC, and editorial policies to reflect labeling and review obligations.
• Creator contracts: Add representations, warranties, and indemnities on truthfulness, disclosure of AI use, and cooperation with takedown or investigations.
• Labeling SOPs: Define "AI-generated" thresholds, apply visible labels/watermarks, and preserve logs of detection and review steps.
• Governance: Stand up or expand internal ombudsman and fact-check workflows; set SLAs and escalation paths.
• Evidence standards: Maintain chain-of-custody for flagged content, detection outputs, and decisions for potential prosecution.
• Privacy and data: Align detection and monitoring with data protection duties (purpose, retention, and consent where needed).
• Vendor risk: DPA/DTA terms for AI detection vendors; audit rights, model update notices, and incident reporting.

Technology and enforcement signals

MeitY has launched deepfake initiatives, including a nine-member panel and projects on fake speech detection and deepfake video/image identification. Ministries acknowledge AI cannot perform full fact-checking yet; a human-in-the-loop model will be central.

• Deploy detection pipelines for text, image, video, and audio with confidence thresholds and explainable outputs.
• Route borderline cases to trained reviewers; document rationale and outcomes.
• Integrate labeling/watermarking at upload and distribution stages.
• Run incident response playbooks for virality, high-risk categories (elections, public safety), and legal hold.

Regulatory horizon to watch

• Parliamentary tabling of the committee report and any follow-on directions to ministries.
• Possible amendments or clarifications under existing IT rules and related statutes.
• Details of any licensing regime for AI content creators and how it interfaces with fundamental rights and press freedom.
• Standards for AI-content labeling and watermarking, including interoperability across platforms.
• Compliance expectations for newsrooms and platforms on ombudsmen and fact-checking protocols.

Action checklist (next 90 days)

• 30 days: Map AI use in content workflows; identify where generative tools can create legal risk. Assign a cross-functional lead (legal, policy, ops, engineering).
• 60 days: Draft labeling policy, creator disclosures, and takedown/escalation SOPs. Update contracts and platform terms.
• 90 days: Pilot deepfake detection tools; train reviewers; run a mock incident and preserve full documentation for audit.

Authoritative references

• Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)
• Lok Sabha (Parliament of India)

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