#FactCheck: Israel Apologizes to Iran’ Video Is AI-Generated

Introduction

A Pew Research Center survey conducted in September 2023, found that among 1,453  age group of 13-17 year olds projected that the majority of the age group uses TikTok (63%), Snapchat (60%) and Instagram (59%) in the U.S. Further, in India the 13-19 year-olds age group makes up 31% of social media users in India, according to a report by Statista from 2021. This has been the leading cause of young users inadvertently or deliberately accessing adult content on social media platforms.  

Brief Analysis of Meta’s Proposed AI Age Classifier 

It can be seen as a step towards safer and moderated content for teen users, by placing age restrictions on teen social media users as sometimes they do not have enough cognitive skills to understand what content can be shared and consumed on these platforms and what can not as per their age. Moreover, there needs to be an understanding of platform policies and they need to understand that nothing can be completely erased from the internet.

Unrestricted access to social media exposes teens to potentially harmful or inappropriate online content, raising concerns about their safety and mental well-being. Meta's recent measures aim to address this, however striking a balance between engagement, protection, and privacy is also an essential part. 

The AI-based Age Classifier proposed by Meta classifies users based on their age and places them in the ‘Teen Account’ category which has built-in limits on who can contact them, the content they see and more ways to connect and explore their interests. According to Meta, teens under 16 years of age will need parental permission to change these settings.

Meta's Proposed Solution: AI-Powered Age Classifier

This tool uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to analyze users’ online behaviours and other profile information to estimate their age. It analyses different factors such as who follows the user, what kind of content they interact with, and even comments like birthday posts from friends. If the classifier detects that a user is likely under 18 years old, it will automatically switch them to a “Teen Account.” These accounts have more restricted privacy settings, such as limiting who can message the user and filtering the type of content they can see. 

The adult classifier is anticipated to be deployed by next year and will start scanning for such users who may have lied about their age. All users found to be under 18 years old will be placed in the category of teen accounts, but 16-17 year olds will be able to adjust these settings if they want more flexibility, while younger teens will need parental permission. The effort is part of a broader strategy to protect teens from potentially harmful content on social media. This is especially important in today’s time as the invasion of privacy for anyone, particularly, can be penalised due to legal instruments like GDPR, DPDP Act, COPPA and many more. 

Policy Implications and Compliances

Meta's AI Age Classifier addresses the growing concerns over teen safety on social media by categorizing users based on age, restricting minors' access to adult content, and enforcing parental controls. However, reliance on behavioural tracking might potentially impact the online privacy of teen users. Hence the approach of Meta needs to be aligned with applicable jurisdictional laws. In India, the recently enacted DPDP Act, of 2023 prohibits behavioural tracking and targeted advertising to children. Accuracy and privacy are the two main concerns that Meta should anticipate when they roll out the classifier.

Meta emphasises transparency to build user trust, and customizable parental controls empower families to manage teens' online experiences. This initiative reflects Meta's commitment to creating a safer, regulated digital space for young users worldwide, it must also align its policies properly with the regional policy and law standards. Meta’s proposed AI Age Classifier aims to protect teens from adult content, reassure parents by allowing them to curate acceptable content, and enhance platform integrity by ensuring a safer environment for teen users on Instagram.

Conclusion 

Meta’s AI Age Classifier while promising to enhance teen safety and putting certain restrictions and parental controls on accounts categorised as ‘teen accounts’, must also properly align with global regulations like GDPR, and the DPDP Act with reference to India. This tool offers reassurance to parents and aims to foster a safer social media environment for teens. To support accurate age estimation and transparency, policy should focus on refining AI methods to minimise errors and ensure clear disclosures about data handling. Collaborative international standards are essential as privacy laws evolve. Meta’s initiative is intended to prioritise youth protection and build public trust in AI-driven moderation across social platforms, while it must also balance the online privacy of users while utilising these advanced tech measures on the platforms. 

References

• https://familycenter.meta.com/in/our-products/instagram/ 
• https://www.indiatoday.in/technology/news/story/instagram-will-now-take-help-of-ai-to-check-if-kids-are-lying-about-their-age-on-app-2628464-2024-11-05 
• https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-11-04/instagram-plans-to-use-ai-to-catch-teens-lying-about-age
• https://tech.facebook.com/artificial-intelligence/2022/6/adult-classifier/‍
• https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/artificial-intelligence/too-young-to-use-instagram-metas-ai-classifier-could-help-catch-teens-lying-about-their-age-9658555/

Introduction

As technology advances, global connectivity becomes increasingly vital. Meta's "Project Waterworth" once completed, will reach five major continents and span over 50,000 km, making it the world’s longest subsea cable project using the highest-capacity technology available. This project is expected to bring industry-leading connectivity to the U.S., India, Brazil, South Africa, and other key regions. It will enable greater economic cooperation, facilitate digital inclusion, and open opportunities for technological development in these regions. 

In India, a project such as this will help accelerate this progress and support the country’s ambitious plans for its digital economy in cohesion with the significant growth and investment in digital infrastructure that is already underway. Subsea cable projects, such as Project Waterworth, are the backbone of global digital infrastructure, accounting for more than 95% of intercontinental traffic across the world’s oceans to seamlessly enable digital communication, video experiences, online transactions, and more.

Enhancing India's Digital Infrastructure

A subsea cable, or submarine cable, enhances global internet speed and reliability by carrying massive data volumes across ocean floors, connecting countries and continents. Compared to satellites, these cables offer greater stability and minimal disruptions.

Project Waterworth aims to build the world's longest 24-fibre pair cable, improving resilience and deployment speed. The project is expected to prevent the damages in high-risk areas, through the use of innovative routing with maximising deep-water placement (up to 7,000 meters) and enhanced burial techniques. This project will play a crucial role in the advancement of AI and emerging technologies, ensuring widespread access to their benefits in India.

CyberPeace Takeaways

The said project has the potential to have manifold implications ranging from economic and policy to India-US relations, data privacy and security concerns emerging from the increase in the data flows and others. A segregated list of takeaways is as follows:

1. Economic and policy implications: The project can lead to economic growth as it has the potential for job creation, and investment opportunities and can lead to positioning India as a digital hub globally. The creation of regulatory frameworks that can support and secure a large-scale infrastructure project such as this is necessary.
2. India- US Relations: This project will align with the commitments that were made in the US-India joint statement on undersea technology collaboration and strengthen them. It will further serve as a model for future collaborations between the nations’ tech entities. 
3. Concerns for Data Privacy and Security: A robust cybersecurity mechanism which can combat the potential risks associated with the increased data flows is required. The concerned authorities need to be vigilant in monitoring and ensuring compliance with the applicable data protection standards set such as the IT Act of 2000, the DPDP Act of 2023 and its rules(once finalised). 

Conclusion

India has been provided with a transformative opportunity to bolster its digital landscape by the advent of Project Waterworth. The enhancement of internet speed, stability, and capacity, will strengthen the country’s digital infrastructure and support economic growth. This project is also projected to accelerate AI-driven advancements in India. Moreover, this technological collaboration between India-US will strengthen their relations and set the stage for India to negotiate future global partnerships. A well-defined regulatory framework and strong cybersecurity measures will be crucial to proactively address data privacy, security, and governance challenges to ensure safe and equitable digital progress. As India continues its rapid digital expansion, engaging in informed discussions, policy planning, and strategic investments will be key to maximise Project Waterworth’s impact and propel India toward a more connected, innovative, and resilient digital future.

References

• https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/14/meta-confirms-project-waterworth-a-global-subsea-cable-project-spanning-50000km/?utm_source=chatgpt.com‍
• https://engineering.fb.com/2025/02/14/connectivity/project-waterworth-ai-subsea-infrastructure/

Introduction

India's broadcasting sector has undergone significant changes in recent years with technological advancements such as the introduction of new platforms like Direct-to-Home (DTH), Internet Protocol television (IPTV), Over-The-Top (OTT), and integrated models. Platform changes, emerging technologies and advancements in the advertising space have all necessitated the need for new governing laws that take these developments into account. 

The Union Government and concerned ministry have realised there is a pressing need to develop a robust regulatory framework for the Indian broadcasting sector in the country and consequently, a draft Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, 2023, was released in November 2023 and the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) had invited feedback and comments from different stakeholders. The draft Bill aims to establish a unified framework for regulating broadcasting services in the country, replacing the current Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 and other policy guidelines governing broadcasting.

Recently a new draft of an updated ‘Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, 2024,’ was shared with selected broadcasters, associations, streaming services, and tech firms, each marked with their identifier to prevent leaks. 

Key Highlights of the Updated Broadcasting Bill 

As per the recent draft of the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, 2024, social media accounts could be identified as ‘Digital News Broadcasters’ and can be classified within the ambit of the regulation. Some of the major aspects of the new bill were first reported by Hindustan Times. 

The new draft of the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, 2024, proposes that individuals who regularly upload videos to social media, make podcasts, or write about current affairs online could be classified as Digital News Broadcasters. This entails that YouTubers and Instagrammers who receive a share of advertising revenue or monetize their social media presence through affiliate activities will be regulated as Digital News Broadcasters. This includes channels, podcasts, and blogs that cover news and utilise Google AdSense. They must comply with a Programme Code and Advertising Code.

Online content creators who do not provide news or current affairs but provide programming and curated programs beyond a certain threshold will be treated as OTT broadcasters in case they provide content licensed or live through a website or social media platform.

The new version also introduces new obligations for intermediaries and social media intermediaries related to streaming services and digital news broadcasters, and, in contrast to the last version circulated in 2023, the latest also carries provisions targeting online advertising. In the context of streaming services, OTT broadcasting services are no longer a part of the definition of "internet broadcasting services." The definition of OTT broadcasting service has also been revised, allowing content creators who regularly upload their content to social media to be considered as OTT broadcasting services.

The new definition of an 'intermediary' includes social media intermediaries, advertisement intermediaries, internet service providers, online search engines, and online marketplaces. 

The new Bill allows the government to prescribe different due diligence guidelines for social media platforms and online advertisement intermediaries and requires all intermediaries to provide appropriate information, including information pertaining to the OTT broadcasters and Digital News Broadcasters on their platform, to the central government to ensure compliance with the act. This entails the liability provisions for social media intermediaries which do not provide information “pertaining to OTT Broadcasters and Digital News Broadcasters” on its platforms for compliance. This suggests that when information is sought about a YouTube, Instagram or X/Twitter user, the platform will need to provide this information to the Indian government.

A new draft bill contains specific provisions governing ‘Online Advertising’ and to do so it creates the category of 'advertising intermediaries'. These intermediaries enable the buying or selling of advertisement space on the internet or placing advertisements on online platforms without endorsing the advertisement. 

Final Words

The Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) is making efforts to propose robust regulatory changes to the country's new-age broadcast sector, which would cover the specific provisions for Digital News Broadcasters, OTT Broadcasters and Intermediaries. The proposed bill defining the scope and obligation of each. 

However, these changes will have significant implications for press and creative freedom. The changes in the new version of the updated bill from its previous draft expanded the applicability of the bill to a larger number of key actors, this move brought ‘content creators’ under the definition of OTT or digital news broadcasters, which raises concerns about overly rigid provisions and might face criticism from media representative perspectives. 

According to recent media reports, the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, 2024 version has been withdrawn by the I&B ministry facing criticism from relevant stakeholders.

The ministry must take due consideration and feedback from concerned stakeholders and place reliance on balancing individual rights while promoting a healthy regulated landscape considering the needs of the new-age broadcasting sector.

References:

1. https://www.medianama.com/2024/07/223-india-broadcast-bill-online-creators/#:~:text=Online%20content%20creators%20that%20do,or%20a%20social%20media%20platform.
2. https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/new-draft-of-broadcasting-bill-news-influencers-may-be-classified-as-broadcasters-101721961764666.html
3. https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/broadcasting-bill-still-in-drafting-stage-mib-tells-rs-101722058753083.html
4. https://www.newslaundry.com/2024/07/29/indias-new-broadcast-bill-now-has-compliance-requirements-for-youtubers-and-instagrammers
5. https://m.thewire.in/article/media/social-media-videos-text-digital-news-broadcasting-bill
6. https://mib.gov.in/sites/default/files/Public%20Notice_07.12.2023.pdf
7. https://news.abplive.com/news/india/centre-withdraws-draft-of-broadcasting-services-regulation-bill-1709770

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