DEEPFAKE TECHNOLOGY AND CYBER LAW: PROTECTING PRIVACY, DEMOCRACY, AND DIGITAL TRUST

Deepfake technology, powered by advances in artificial intelligence (AI), has transformed digital content creation while creating significant legal and ethical challenges. Although deepfakes have legitimate applications in education, entertainment, healthcare, and media, they are increasingly misused for identity theft, financial fraud, political misinformation, cybercrime, and non-consensual intimate content. Such misuse threatens individual privacy, democratic integrity, and public trust in digital information. This paper examines the evolution of deepfake technology and analyses its implications under India's cyber law framework. It evaluates the applicability of the Information Technology Act, 2000, the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and constitutional protections under Articles 19 and 21 in addressing deepfake-related harms. The paper also identifies regulatory gaps arising from the absence of dedicated AI legislation and emphasizes the need for comprehensive legal reforms, stronger platform accountability, improved cyber forensic capabilities, and public awareness to ensure the responsible and ethical use of artificial intelligence.