Probe Into Actor Rashmika Mandanna's Deepfake Video Hits Dead End

The probe into the deepfake video of actor Rashmika Mandana has hit a dead end as social media platforms have shown their inability to share information about individual(s) who have allegedly made the deepfake profiles.

As per sources, the accused removed and deleted the account from the social media platforms.

The officials said that the account could have been created with a fake identity and Virtual Private Network (VPN) could have been used to upload the deepfake videos.

Union Minister for Communications, Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw on November 18 said that notices were issued to all social media platforms directing them to take necessary steps to identify and remove such content.

As per the officials, though the police detained a few suspects, none of them created the deepfake video in question rather they only shared the video.

The investigation into the matter is still underway, the officials said.

Delhi Police has received a response suggesting their inability to provide details about the suspect's account which has been deleted from the Social media platforms.

The Delhi Police's IFSO (Internet Freedom and Safety for Online Users) unit earlier this week sent a letter to Meta (formerly Facebook) but the social media giant responded by expressing its inability to provide details of the deleted account.

The sources further informed that the police are awaiting a reply from GoDaddy (a publicly traded internet domain registry) since a similar profile was made through GoDaddy also.

Highlighting the danger of deepfakes, Ashwini Vaishnaw on November 18 during an interaction with the media, said, "Deepfake is a big issue for all of us. We recently issued notices to all the big social media forms, asking them to take steps to identify deepfakes, to remove those content. The social media platforms have responded. They are taking action. We have told them to be more aggressive in this work."

On November 6, a modified video of actor Rashmika Mandanna appeared online sparking discussions of digital safety. In the viral video, a woman resembling Ms Mandanna was seen entering a lift in a black swimsuit.

The video quickly went viral and several social media users came forward to confirm that it was a deepfake. It was later revealed that the video was of British actor Zara Patel.

The actor strongly reacted to the deepfake video and said, "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 Delhi Police registered the FIR under relevant sections, and an investigation was launched.

Delhi Police said that a technical analysis is underway to identify the accused involved in the case.

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