'Deepfakes are big challenge,' says PM Modi, calling coordinated global response

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on Thursday for countries around the world to tackle cross-border cyber frauds and the rising menace of deepfakes, pushing for coordinated action among governments, technology companies, telecom players and banks to stop such scams before they ever reach the people.

Modi noted that India has gained substantial experience in combating cyber frauds over the years and expressed willingness to share these learnings with the world. He cautioned that cyber frauds and cyber crimes do not respect national boundaries and stressed that technology can only scale effectively when people trust it.

"Technology achieves scale only when it gains trust. And you all know that cyber fraud and cyber crimes do not respect borders. They have already crossed boundaries," he said while addressing the event, India Mobile Congress 2026.

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Cross-border crime

Pointing to the inherently cross-border character of cyber offences, the Prime Minister observed that an individual in one nation could, with assistance from someone in a second country, carry out a crime targeting victims in a completely different, third country. "We are also seeing what a big challenge deepfakes have become," Modi said, adding that countries need to work together on a global framework to address such emerging threats.

"Therefore, it is necessary that we work on a global framework for this. Governments, technology companies, telecom operators, and financial institutions - all will need to connect with this framework. I urge the GSMA and telecom operators across the world: come, let us create a global mechanism that can stop such fraud before it reaches the people," Modi said.

He further emphasised that as telecom networks and digital platforms continue their rapid growth, bolstering the security architecture around them is just as vital, with safeguarding phones and networks now a top priority. Modi reiterated that India's own experience in this space has been extensive, and the country remains open to sharing that knowledge globally.