Delhi Police have arrested the key accused in the case related to actress Rashmika Mandannas deepfake video which triggered protests across India last year.
According to reports, the suspect was arrested from Andhra Pradesh.
? There is an urgent need for a legal and regulatory framework to deal with deepfake in India.
You might have seen this viral video of actress Rashmika Mandanna on Instagram. But wait, this is a deepfake video of Zara Patel.
This thread contains the actual video. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/SidP1Xa4sT
Abhishek (@AbhishekSay) November 5, 2023
After the incident, the Delhi Police filed a case in the matter under sections 465 (forgery) and 469 (harming reputation) of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, and sections 66C (identity theft) and 66E (privacy violation) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, reported India Today.
What was the video all about?
The video in question originally featured social media influencer Zara Patel.
However, in the Deepfake video, her face was changed to Rashmikas.
Indian governments reaction
Indian IT Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Monday (November 6, 2023) reacted to a deepfake video featuring actor Rashmika Mandanna and reminded social media platforms of their legal obligations to fight misinformation.
The Minister said under the IT rules notified in April, 2023 – it is a legal obligation for platforms to ensure no misinformation is posted by any user and to remove it within 36 hours when reported by any user or government.
What is deepfake?
According to Encyclopedia Britannica website, Deepfake, synthetic media, including images, videos, and audio, generated by artificial intelligence (AI) technology that portray something that does not exist in reality or events that have never occurred.
