Rashmika Mandanna Morphed Video: What is Deepfake Technology, How it is Created & Laws Against It – News18

A viral deepfake video of actress Rashmika Mandanna has brought the spotlight on the unsettling world of AI deepfakes and the perils of the unregulated access of the growing Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The video shows, the woman with Rashmika’s face, wearing a black fitted outfit, entering a lift. The face of the woman has been morphed and edited in a way to resemble Mandanna.

The deepfake video, which has been viewed more than 12 million times on X (formerly Twitter), has been edited from a video featuring Zara Patel, a British Indian woman who uploaded to Instagram.

How Rashmika Mandanna and Others Reacted

Mandanna voiced her concerns on the viral deepfake video and said that the misuse of technology is scary not only for her but also for the general internet users.

“I feel really hurt to share this and have to talk about the deepfake video of me being spread online. 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,” she posted on her Instagram story.

Actor Amitabh Bachchan has demanded legal action in the deepfake video of the actress. Several social media users also expressed concerns over the rapid spread of “unreliable” information on the internet.

Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology of India, has called out social media platforms for their inability to handle content containing deep fakes and misinformation.

He posted on Twitter: “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 ensure that when reported by any user or govt, misinformation is removed in 36 hrs. If platforms do not comply with this, rule 7 will apply and platforms can be taken to court by aggrieved person under provisions of IPC.”

What is Deepfake?

AI deepfakes are a form of manipulation that uses Artificial Intelligence technology to create highly convincing fake content, in the form of images or videos. Tools such as artificial intelligence (AI), photoshop, machine learning and others available online have been extensively used to create deep fake videos, clips and other content.

The AI generated fake contents are designed to appear as if they were created by or feature real individuals when, in fact, they are entirely fake. Deepfake technology can create fictional photos, morphed videos or even ‘voice clones’ of public figures.

Deepfakes often transform existing content like an image or a video where one person is swapped for another to generate realistic morphed media. The technology can also be used to create original content where someone is shown doing or saying something they didn’t do or say.

How Women are Growing Victims of deepfake porn?

The deepfakes have been mostly used for generating pornographic content, most of which are non-consensual. There has been a recent rise in photo apps digitally undressing women, sexualized text-to-image prompts creating “AI girls” and manipulated images fuelling “sextortion” rackets across the world including in Europe and the US.

Women are a particular target of AI tools and apps, which is widely available for free and require no technical expertise. These apps allow users to digitally strip off clothing from their pictures, or insert their faces into sexually explicit videos.

Celebrities including singer Taylor Swift and actress Emma Watson have been victims of deepfake porn. Around 96 percent of deepfake videos online are non-consensual pornography, and most of them depict women, according to a study by the Dutch AI company Sensity.

How to Protect Against Deepfakes?

Some of the basic tips for protecting against deepfakes are:

• Limit the amount of personal information shared online to reduce the data available for creating deepfakes.
• Enhancing your personal security and refraining from sharing photos or videos that could be utilized for creating deepfakes.
• People, who are concerned about their personal data, should consider changing their Instagram account to private instead of public.
• If a user has a business account, then they can consider hiding personal images and videos on Instagram.
• Always exercising caution while using social media and keeping your social media handles secure.

Indian Laws Against Deepfake

India does not have a clearly defined law to specially deal with deepfake cybercrime, but various other laws can be utilised to deal with the crime.

• IT Act: The Section 66D of the Information Technology Act, 2000 has a provision for misuse of communication device or computer resource is used for cheating or impersonation. The law has a provision of imprisonment for up to three years and a fine up to Rs 1 lakh.
• Section 66E of IT Act: The Section 66E of IT Act calls for punishment in case a person’s privacy is breached for capturing, publishing or transmitting their images on the internet. The offence is punishable with imprisonment of up to three years or a fine of up to Rs 2 lakh, according to a report in Outlook.
• The Copyright Act, 1957: The Section 51 of the act states that there is a violation of The Copyright Act when any property that belongs to another person having an exclusive right is used.
• Data Protection Bill 2021: The Bill has provisions to penalise the breach of personal and non-personal data of any type. The legislation can play a crucial role in dealing with cybercrimes, including deep fakes.
• IT Rules 2023: As per the IT Amendment Rules, 2023, it is a legal obligation for digital platforms to ensure that no misinformation is posted on the internet sites or social media. The internet sites must also ensure that after reporting by any user or government, misinformation is removed in 36 hours.