Delhi High Court intervenes in political deepfake case

The Delhi High Court has intervened in a case involving allegations of AI-generated deepfakes used during political protests. A woman petitioned the court alleging that leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)—specifically Saurav Das, Abhijit Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka, and Ratna Singh—used her photograph to create and circulate vulgar, morphed images of her alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The petitioner claims her image was obtained without authorization during a CJP protest at Jantar Mantar and subsequently used in face-swapping tools to create compromising content. She alleges the images were not only circulated on social media but also displayed on physical banners during demonstrations, accompanied by derogatory slogans. The woman further stated she has received threats following the circulation of the content.

The High Court has issued notices to the four CJP leaders and directed Meta Platforms to remove the objectionable content within 24 hours. Additionally, the court has ordered police protection for the woman. The case highlights growing concerns regarding the use of sophisticated artificial intelligence to manipulate media for political purposes.