Jail and BD10,000 fine in deepfake proposal

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

Up to BD10,000 and jail could face anyone who produces or falsifies audio or video under a proposed new deepfake offence, due for debate in the Shura Council on Sunday despite a committee call for the measure to be rejected.

The draft would add a new Article 10 bis to Law No. 60 of 2014 on Information Technology Crimes.

It would punish the making or falsifying of audio or visual material, using any information technology means or system, where the aim is to circulate, transfer, distribute, send, publish or make it available.

Penalty

The penalty would apply where the material could expose someone to contempt or punishment, harm honour, tarnish the reputation of families, or be made for an unlawful purpose.

Courts could impose a prison term, a fine of between BD3,000 and BD10,000, or either penalty.

The report due to be discussed was issued by the Shura Council’s Foreign Affairs, Defence and National Security Committee.

The proposal was submitted by members Ali Al Shihabi, First Deputy Chairman Jamal Fakhro, Dr Mohammed Ali Hassan, Khalid Al Maskati and Dalal Al Zayed.

Issue

The committee noted that the Legislative and Legal Affairs Committee had found the draft sound on constitutional and legal grounds, but said the key issue was need and workability.

The committee described deepfakes as content made or altered using artificial intelligence and machine-learning tools, where a real person or event is shown as something else, in audio or video that can be hard to spot as false, with words or acts pinned on someone other than the true source.