Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar and Amitabh Bachchan have spoken out against a recent ‘deepfake’ video of actor Rashmika Mandanna, calling on digital platforms to combat this damaging form of misinformation.

What Happened: The Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT took to social media to address the issue, emphasising the legal responsibility of platforms to stop the dissemination of misinformation and to remove reported misinformation within 36 hours. If platforms do not comply, rule 7 will be invoked, which allows those affected to sue the platform under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

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Chandrasekhar’s comments were in response to a tweet from journalist Abhishek Kumar, who highlighted the ‘deepfake’ video of the actress and stressed the urgent need for a regulatory framework to handle such situations. Kumar disclosed that the original video featured British-Indian girl Zara Patel and was uploaded on October 9.

Bachchan, who played Mandanna’s father in ‘Goodbye’, also voiced support for legal action against the deepfake video. Deepfake videos, created with Artificial Intelligence, can digitally alter a person’s body or face to make them appear as someone else.

Why It Matters: The deepfake video of Rashmika Mandanna, which was widely circulated on social media, raised concerns about the rapid spread of “unreliable” information on the internet. These videos, created using advanced technology, can be used to spread misinformation and cause harm to individuals’ reputations.

Bachchan, who reposted the video, described it as a “strong case for legal” action, highlighting the need for stricter regulations to control the creation and distribution of such materials. The minister in his tweet on the issue underscored the government’s commitment to tackling digital misinformation and protecting citizens from its potential dangers.

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