Rashmika Mandanna deepfake video probe hits a wall: US tech firms not sharing data, say Delhi Police
A senior police officer said they had detained a man from Bihar and seized his device. They allegedly found a URL and details of the Instagram reel which the suspect allegedly used to create the deepfake using an AI tool.
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Several cases of deepfake videos and audio, including faces of popular actors and actresses, have emerged in the last month. (File) investigation into the deepfake video of actress Rashmika Mandanna has hit a wall as US-based tech companies, whose portals were purportedly used to make and share the AI-edited/deepfake video, have not provided details to take the case forward, police sources said.
The Delhi Police’s Special Cell had taken up the case on November 10 after the video was uploaded on social media. The original video was of another woman who was seen entering a lift in a black outfit. The accused allegedly used AI to morph Mandanna’s face onto the face of the woman in the video.
Sources in the cyber cell said despite multiple requests and letters to social media giant Meta and tech company GoDaddy, they have not shared details.
A senior police officer said they had detained a man from Bihar and seized his device. They allegedly found a URL and details of the Instagram reel which the suspect allegedly used to create the deepfake using an AI tool.
A source said the police’s first and second appeals regarding the information on the video and profiles/accounts (that shared the video) were accepted and Meta replied with information. However, their third appeal, in which they sent a URL, has not been accepted.
“We had sent the URL of the Instagram account and reel to Meta authorities. They came back to us saying they don’t have data for the said account. We told them the suspect deleted the account and information and asked if they could hand us their old data. They have not been cooperating with us. Similarly, we found a URL hosted on GoDaddy.com and sent their team a letter to help us with the website but they replied saying they don’t have records for the URL. These are companies that usually save old data,” said the officer.
A Meta spokesperson denied the allegations and said they are cooperating with the Delhi Police. GoDaddy did not respond to calls and emails sent by The Indian Express.
The officer, meanwhile, added that the creator of the deepfake video hasn’t been found and that they can only detain persons who shared the video and question them. Sources added that the accused used a fake identity and VPN for the account which can be decoded once the tech companies share details of IP addresses and other user information.
Earlier this year, Meta had conducted an event at the Delhi Police’s HQ in New Delhi, called the ‘Online Safety of Youth and Women – Digital Literacy Program’. Officials had said they would be closely working with Meta to stop online harassment against women and children.
Several cases of deepfake videos and audio, including faces of popular actors and actresses, have emerged in the last month. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had recently expressed his concerns over the regulations of AI at a virtual summit of G20 nations and said deepfake is “dangerous” for society.
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