On November 6, the actor Rashmika Mandanna responded with strong disapproval to a widely circulated deepfake video in which her face was digitally added to another woman's body. She also called for legal action to be taken against the creators of the video.
The initial video showcased Zara Patel, a British-Indian social media influencer, wearing a black workout jumpsuit inside an elevator. In the viral video, artificial intelligence (AI) was used to manipulate Zara's face to make it appear as if it were Rashmika's.
'Scary,' Says Mandanna
Mandanna took to various social platforms and expressed her disapproval. She posted a message on her Instagram story and her X (formerly Twitter) account expressing her distress, stating, "It pains me to address the deepfake video circulating online with my likeness. Such instances are genuinely frightening, not just for myself, but for all individuals who are currently at risk due to the misuse of technology."
"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."
Expressing how it is easy for her to get past this as she is an actor and a well-known face. 'As a woman, it could have otherwise traumatised me,' the actor wrote.
"Today, as a woman and as an actor, I am thankful for my family, friends and well-wishers who are my protection and support system. But if this happened to me when I was in school or college, I genuinely can’t imagine how could I ever tackle this."
Calling for strict action against the culprits, she wrote, "We need to address this as a community and with urgency before more of us are affected by such identity theft."
Big B Brings Issue To Light
Earlier it was the great actor Amitabh Bachchan who brought the issue to everybody's attention. Highlighting the same the Piku star shared the video to his Twitter account with the caption, 'This is a strong case for legal."
Govt Also Takes Note
Union Minister for Electronics and Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar also reshared the video tagging Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighting the issue for strict government action. Minister Chandrasekhar highlighted the rules and regulations of digital media in the country and informed the public of the legal obligation of all social media platforms.
He wrote, "PM @narendramodi ji's Govt is committed to ensuring Safety and Trust of all DigitalNagriks using Internet Under the IT rules notified in April, 2023 it is a legal obligation for platforms to ensure no misinformation is posted by any user."
Suggested Reading: Rashmika Mandanna's 'Deepfake' Video Raises Alarming Concern
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