Deepfake Video Row: A Guide on How to Protect Yourself from Cyber Crimes | Details Here

Amid rising concerns over the circulation of deepfake videos of actresses Rashmika Mandanna and Katrina Kaif on social media, the Delhi Police on Tuesday appealed to the public to not promote such videos and shared a guide on how to protect yourself from cyber crimes.

Meanwhile, the Centre has also issued an advisory to social media companies, reiterating the guidelines and the action to be taken in case of violation. “The Centre today issued an advisory to the significant social media intermediaries to ensure that due diligence is exercised and reasonable efforts are made to identify misinformation and deepfakes, and in particular, information that violates the provisions of rules and regulations and/or user agreements,” the Ministry of Electronics and IT (Meity) said in a statement.

What Are Deep Fake Videos?

Deepfake videos are made using Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology in which, any person’s face/voice can be replaced with another person’s face/voice. Criminals often use this technology to commit cyber fraud.

Tools such as AI, Photoshop, machine learning and others available online have been extensively used to create deep fake videos, clips and other highly convincing fake content.

How to Identify a Deep Fake Video?

According to the Delhi Police, this is how you can identify deepfake videos –

• Check for unnatural facial expressions, mismatched lip-sync or blinking irregularities.
• Listen to the audio and check for shifts in tone, pitch or unnatural speech patterns.
• Look for visual distortions, blurring, inconsistent lighting, and unusual background.
• Verify the source of the video. If the face is known to you, call and confirm with the person.

In case of cyber fraud, call the Cyber Crime Helpline at 1930 or register a complaint at cybercrime.gov.in.

Govt’s Reaction

The Centre’s reaction comes after a deepfake video of Mandanna was found circulating on social media platforms earning criticism from several politicians and celebrities. Netizens claimed the video has been morphed and the actual video is of an Indian-origin person living in the UK.

In its advisory, the IT Ministry has directed social media companies to expeditiously take action against the content that is in violation of the rules and regulations well within the timeframes stipulated under the IT Rules 2021, and users are caused not to host such information, content, deepfakes.

“Remove any such content when reported within 36 hours of such reporting and ensure expeditious action, well within the timeframes stipulated under the IT Rules 2021, and disable access to the content or information,” the statement said.

Rashmika Says ‘Really Hurt’

Reacting to her viral deepfake video, Mandanna on Monday said it is “extremely scary” how technology is being misused, while her “Goodbye” co-star Amitabh Bachchan called for legal action.

She also expressed her concern through Instagram, saying she was “really hurt” to see the video, which shows a woman dressed in black workout onesie inside an elevator. Her face has been edited using artificial intelligence (AI) to resemble Mandanna.

“I feel really hurt to share this and have to talk about the deep fake 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,” the actor, known for her roles in films such as “Pushpa”, “Mission Majnu” and the upcoming “Animal”, wrote.

(with inputs from PTI)