NEW DELHI, Sept 25: The Delhi High Court on Friday directed Meta platforms to immediately remove morphed content involving a woman’s picture that was posted on social media alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Justice Girish Kathpalia observed that the matter presented an extraordinary situation, as it involved not only a woman but also the country’s prime minister. The court further remarked that if the Delhi Police was not sensitive to the issue, the court would ensure that it became sensitive.
The high court also issued notices to Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders Saurav Das, Abhijit Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka, and Ratna Singh on a petition filed by the woman. The woman has alleged that the leaders circulated her morphed picture with the Prime Minister.
The woman who went to court stated that the AI-generated images, showing her next to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, started to circulate online. She demands the court of law wipe off all the AI-generated photos to be removed from various social media platforms (owned by Meta) and all the existing websites.
She has named CJP activists Saurav Das, Abhijit Dipke, Ashutosh Ranka, and Ratna Singh as the respondents behind the act. Currently, these are her allegations, though nothing has been proven yet. The Delhi Police have already filed an FIR at the Cyber Police Station in New Delhi, using sections of the Information Technology Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The high \court has sent a notice to the Delhi Police, telling them to submit a status report in two weeks. In the meantime, the court has ordered police protection for the woman. This is not the first time courts have tackled AI-morphed images spreading online – takedown orders like this one have become more common these days.
Following the high court order, Meta will be required to remove all AI-morphed images and any web links identified in the woman’s petition within a day. The court will check in on the case again on October 14.
(Manas Dasgupta)