Tabu wins big in court against deepfakes - Views Bangladesh

Bollywood actress Tabu has secured a significant legal victory in the Delhi High Court against the unauthorized use of deepfake technology and the infringement of her personality rights. Justice Jyoti Singh issued an interim injunction ordering major digital platforms, including Google, Meta, X, and Reddit, to remove over 150 unauthorized links that utilized the actress's identity.

What happened

The legal action followed reports that clips from Tabu’s films and interviews were being manipulated using artificial intelligence to produce distorted and obscene content. Beyond the creation of deepfakes, bad actors established fake Instagram accounts in her name to issue false statements and solicit fraudulent event bookings. These activities were identified by the actress as damaging to her personal dignity and professional reputation.

The court’s order establishes broad protections for the actress, legally known as Tabassum Fatima Hashmi. It prohibits the commercial use of her name, image, voice, and signature without explicit permission. Specifically, the ruling bars the use of artificial intelligence to distort her identity for commercial gain and prohibits the unauthorized sale of merchandise using her likeness. Platforms are now mandated to identify and remove content that violates these protections, marking a critical step in addressing the proliferation of non-consensual synthetic media targeting public figures.