Delhi High Court has given an important order regarding the protection of personality rights of actress and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut. The court has banned the use of his name, photograph, voice and other personality characteristics without his permission. The scope of this order also includes deepfakes, doctored videos, fabricated speeches and misleading advertisements created with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Meta instructed to remove objectionable content
Vikas Mahajan bench of Delhi High Court has issued an interim order directing the meta platforms to remove the infringing content identified by Kangana Ranaut and stop its re-circulation. Along with this, the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Department of Telecommunications have also been asked to issue necessary instructions. The court directed the concerned ministries to ask the internet and telecom service providers to take necessary steps to block access to the infringing websites within the stipulated timeline.
Exclusive rights on commercial use of personality
The bench said that Kangana Ranaut has the right to protect her personality and the characteristics associated with it. This also includes the right to control the commercial use of their name, photograph, voice and other identifying characteristics and to be protected against their use or exploitation without permission. The court also clarified that this protection includes protection from objectionable content generated or morphed by AI. This also includes deepfakes of a sexual nature, through which a person's image and reputation can be harmed.
What allegations did Kangana Ranaut make?
This order of Delhi High Court has come on the case filed by Kangana Ranaut. The lawsuit alleged that fabricated statements, doctored videos, morphed photos and artificial intelligence (AI) generated content were being circulated about him on several social media platforms and websites. According to the allegation, he was being misrepresented through this material. The lawsuit said some digitally manipulated photos and videos depicted him in inappropriate situations, while other content showed him making statements or engaging in activities that never actually occurred.
Accusation of harming personality and reputation
Kangana Ranaut argued that such material violates her rights related to personality, publicity, identity and respect. He also said that such content could mislead the public and harm his reputation. The court, after examining the material placed on record, found that it allegedly included obscene, morphed and AI generated sexually explicit material, the use of which was not permitted by Kangana Ranaut. The bench acknowledged the need to remove such content and issued directions against the platforms concerned.
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