After Sonakshi Sinha, now Mohanlal also reached the court; High Court tightens its belt to save the reputation of stars in the digital age!

New Delhi: Amidst the increasing misuse of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the dangers of deepfake technology, the Delhi High Court has given a very important and precedent-setting decision to protect the dignity and personality rights of Bollywood actress Sonakshi Sinha. The court has given a clear order that without the permission of Sonakshi Sinha, her name, voice, face or any quality related to her personality cannot be used for commercial or any other purpose. The decision is a stern warning to AI platforms and online websites that were using celebrities’ images without consent.

Justice Jyoti Singh’s bench, understanding the seriousness of the matter, found that some unruly elements were misusing AI tools and creating obscene and objectionable pictures of the actress and circulating them on social media. The court said in strong words that such content is not only causing irreparable damage to the reputation of the actress, but is also a serious violation of her privacy. In view of this, the Court has issued an order that all such identified objectionable URLs related to the actress should be completely removed from the Internet within just 36 hours of receiving the order.

Sonakshi Sinha had named several defendants in her petition, including a US-based AI chatbot platform and various e-commerce websites. The petition alleged that these entities, in collaboration with unknown entities, were making unfair commercial profits by exploiting the voice and looks of the ‘John Doe’ actress. The Court held that the identity of any person is an integral part of his personality and using it without his consent is illegal.

Interestingly, this case of Sonakshi Sinha is being considered as the beginning of a big campaign in the film industry. In this series, veteran Malayalam actor Mohanlal has also approached the Delhi High Court for the protection of his identity rights. He has also demanded in his application that his photo and voice should not be used for earning without his permission. Justice Jyoti Singh’s bench can hear this matter also on Tuesday. These legal steps will prove to be a milestone in terms of the safety of artists in the digital era.