Delhi police nab four suspects in Rashmika Mandanna deepfake case
Delhi Police have arrested four individuals in connection with a deepfake video featuring Rashmika Mandanna, which went viral on social media last month. An FIR was filed on November 11 by the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) of Delhi Police. The video showed a woman named Zara Patel (British-Indian influencer), whose face was edited using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to resemble Mandanna. This sparked concerns over the nefarious implications of deepfake content on social media.
Search for creators and mastermind of deepfake video still ongoing
Police identified four suspects involved in uploading the video, but the search for the creators and mastermind is still ongoing. The modified video of Mandanna surfaced on November 6. By November 24, social media platforms reportedly claimed an inability to provide information about the alleged creators, who had potentially deleted their accounts. Reportedly, perpetrators use fake identities and VPNs for uploading malicious deepfake content.
What is deepfake? Know what exactly happened
As per Tech Target, "Deepfake AI is a type of artificial intelligence used to create convincing images, audio, and video hoaxes." When the video spread online, Mandanna's co-star Amitabh Bachchan was the first celebrity to label it a "legal concern" and shared the original video to highlight the issue on his X/Twitter account.
This was the viral (deepfake) clip
Mandanna called her deepfake video 'extremely scary'
Mandanna expressed her shock and concern over the misuse of technology, saying, "Something like this is honestly, extremely scary not only for me but also for each one of us who today is vulnerable to so much harm because of how technology is being misused." The actor stressed the importance of addressing this issue as a community to prevent further harm from identity theft.
Government and industry support for tackling deepfakes
IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw called deepfakes a "new threat to democracy" and stated that the government is working on new regulations to combat such situations. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed concern over AI misuse in creating deepfakes and urged the media to raise awareness about this issue. Celebrities like Mrunal Thakur, Naga Chaitanya, Sai Dharam Tej, and Chinmayi Sripaada have shown their support for Mandanna in this case.
