(Web Desk) - The Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has issued an advisory to social media companies after a viral deepfake video, said to be of actor Rashmika Mandanna, has sparked concern over the use of artificial intelligence to spread disinformation.
The government's advisory comes amid shock and concern over a viral video that appeared to show Rashmika entering an elevator.
Soon after the clip started trending, it was found that it was actually a video of British-Indian influencer Zara Patel. The visuals were doctored using deepfake technology.
The actress strongly reacted to the alleged video. The 'Pushpa: The Rise' actor took to Instagram Story and shared a note that read, "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.
"Today, as a woman and as an actor, I am thankful for my family, friends and well-wishers who are my protection and support system. But if this happened to me when I was in school or college, I genuinely can't imagine how could I ever tackle this.
"We need to address this as a community and with urgency before more of us are affected by such identity theft."