Four suspects involved in uploading a
deepfake video of actor Rashmika Mandanna online have been tracked and the hunt
is on to nab the main conspirator, police said on Wednesday.
However, the four suspects turned out to
be uploaders, not creators. Out of the four suspects, three have been tracked
based on the details provided by Meta, the company that owns and operates
social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.
The investigation encountered an
obstacle since the accused had reportedly removed and deleted information from
their accounts, making it difficult for authorities to locate them. The Delhi’s
cyber experts are currently searching for the key conspirator behind the post.
The deepfake videos featuring the actor
were likely uploaded using a fake identity, and the use of a Virtual Private Network
(VPN) adds another layer of difficulty in tracking the perpetrator.
It’s been a month since the Delhi Police
registered a First Information Report (FIR) at the Special Cell in connection
with the deepfake AI-generated video of actress Rashmika Mandanna.
Earlier, the Delhi Commission for Women
had also sought action over the deepfake video of actress Rashmika Mandanna,
which circulated widely on social media platforms.
Union Minister for Communications,
Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw said on November 18 that notices were
issued to all social media platforms directing them to take necessary steps to
identify and remove such content.
Delhi Police IFSO (Internet Freedom and
Safety for Online Users) unit earlier sent a letter to Meta (formerly Facebook)
but the social media company responded by expressing its inability to provide
details of the deleted account.
The sources informed that the police are
awaiting a reply from GoDaddy (a publicly traded internet domain registry)
since a similar profile was also made through GoDaddy.
ANI
