Union Minister on actor's viral deepfake video: Need to be dealt by platforms

Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Monday responded to a deepfake video of actor Rashmika Mandanna, saying that such "damaging form of misinformation need to be dealt with by platforms".

Taking to X, the Union Minister of State (MoS) for IT said that the central government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "committed to ensuring [the] safety and trust" of all citizens using the internet.

Referring to the IT rules notified in April 2023, the Union Minister specified the guidelines that social media platforms must abide by as it a "legal obligation". Chandrasekhar said that all platforms must "ensure no misinformation is posted by any user" and that "when reported by any user of [the] government, misinformation is removed in 36 hours".

He further wrote on X that if social media platforms failt to comply with the rules, then rule 7 will be applied and "platforms can be taken to court by [the] aggrieved person under provisions of [the] IPC".

The viral video of 'Pushpaa' actress Rashmika Mandanna created a storm on the internet, garnering more than 14 million views since being put up online. Abhishek Kumar, a journalist, shared the video on X, raising concerns over the matter and stressing about the "urgent need for a legal and regulatory framework" to deal with deepfake incidents in India.

The original video was shared on Instagram on October 9, featuring Zara Patel, a British-Indian girl with more than 400,000 followers on the platform. The deepfake video showed the woman wearing a black outfit and entering an elevator. When closely noticed, it can be seen that the face of the woman changes to that of Rashmika's as soon as she enters the elevator.

It, however, remains a mystery as to show who created the fake video.

The viral video caught the attention of Rashmika's 'Goodbye' co-star Amitabh Bachchan as well, who sought "information" on the matter and tweeted that the deepfakes are a “strong case for legal”.

Rashmika, who made her Bollywood debut in the role of Amitabh Bachchan's daughter in 'Goodbye', will next be seen in 'Animal' with Ranbir Kapoor. The much-anticipated film is scheduled to hit the theatres on December 1.