Suniel Shetty Moves Bombay HC Seeking Protection Against Deepfake And Image Misuse

Bollywood actor Suniel Shetty has filed a plea with the Bombay High Court seeking protection for his personality rights against deepfake images and videos using his images without authorisation. The 64-year-old actor seeks the court’s intervention in restraining such deepfakes and misuse of his images and videos across various social media platforms and commercial websites. The

Senior Advocate Biredra Saraf represented Shetty said that his (actor’s) deepfake pictures are circulating on the internet and highlighted that they are being used for commercial purposes without receiving Shetty’s authorisation. The matter was listed before Justice Arif S Doctor, who reserved the order, reported Bar and Bench.

Threats Of Deepfakes And Misuse

Deepfake is a serious issue, and there have been many instances in the past when deepfakes circulated on social media, involving well-known public figures, such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, former Reserve Bank of India  (RBI) governor Shaktikanta Das, cricketer Virat Kohli, and many more.

In Shetty’s case, his counsel pointed out that this misuse has extended even to family members. He said that there is a “photograph of him with a grandchild, which is a deepfake. It's not a real photograph". Unknown people are using Shetty’s deepfake images and those of his grandchild for brand endorsement, which needs to be restricted, the counsel argued.

The actor sought the removal of such unauthorised photographs from being used on commercial websites, including gambling and astrology platforms.

His counsel submitted that the astrology websites and some real estate websites are using his images without his permission.

Per the reports, it is fake agents claiming to represent Shetty for brand endorsements, and several fake social media accounts created in his name are only making the matter complicated. The court was informed that in a few cases; Meta labeled such content as deepfake but didn’t remove it.

Legal Arguments And Judicial Concern

The plea is against unknown perpetrators and includes a prayer for John Doe order, which is a type of legal order that allows a complainant/plaintiff to act against unknown parties, usually in the case of intellectual property (IP) infringement.  

However, Shetty prayed for the removal of such infringing content and did not press for blocking the concerned websites.

After hearing the complaint, Justice Doctor acknowledged the severe risks involved in the rapid technological advancements and the dangers of unregulated AI. The court reserved the order on Shetty’s interim application and reportedly may pass an ex parte ad interim order in the matter, which means an immediate order without hearing the other party, considering the imminent risk to the complainant.