New Delhi, May 8: The Delhi High Court has announced an interim order to protect Congress MP Shashi Tharoor’s personality and publicity rights. This decision comes in response to the alleged deepfake videos and AI-generated content that misleadingly depict Tharoor praising Pakistan.
Justice Mini Pushkarna, presiding over the case, issued summons to the respondents, including the central government and social media platforms like Meta and X, directing them to submit their responses within four weeks.
While drafting the order, Justice Pushkarna noted that interim directions would be issued in accordance with the ‘prayers’ A, B, C, and D made in the application for the injunction.
Senior advocate Amit Sibal, representing Tharoor, argued before the Delhi High Court that several deepfake videos falsely attribute politically sensitive statements to the Congress leader. This not only jeopardizes Tharoor’s reputation but also poses a serious threat to India’s international standing.
Sibal emphasized that despite repeated complaints to authorities and social media platforms under the Information Technology (IT) rules, the allegedly infringing content continues to resurface through various URLs.
He stated, “There are three deepfake videos available under different links. They are identical, yet they appear on separate URLs.” He further mentioned that although fact-checking organizations have confirmed these videos are fake, a segment of the public continues to believe they are real.
The senior lawyer argued that the alleged misuse of Tharoor’s image and personality could have significant diplomatic repercussions, especially given his stature as a public figure and former central minister.
He warned that foreign governments might exploit deepfake videos, which could be part of a deliberate misinformation campaign aimed at tarnishing Tharoor’s patriotic image and influencing public perception.
Representing Meta, a mediator informed Justice Pushkarna that some URLs identified by Tharoor were not previously available on their platform. However, the plaintiff contended that similar content keeps appearing through new links.
Tharoor has approached the Delhi High Court to safeguard his personality and publicity rights against unauthorized use of his name, likeness, image, and identity on digital platforms, including through AI-generated and morphed content.
This case adds to the growing list of prominent personalities seeking protection for their personality and publicity rights in the Delhi High Court. In recent months, former cricketer and current head coach Gautam Gambhir, former cricket captain Sunil Gavaskar, spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, actors Arjun Kapoor, Allu Arjun, Nagarjuna, Kajol, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, and Abhishek Bachchan, singer Jubin Nautiyal, filmmaker Karan Johar, and podcaster Raj Shamani have all secured legal protection against unauthorized use of their identity, likeness, or AI-generated imitations.
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