Veteran actor Tabu has secured interim protection from the Delhi High Court against the unauthorised use of her name, image and identity across digital platforms. The court’s order comes amid growing concerns over the misuse of celebrities’ identities through artificial intelligence, deepfakes and other forms of manipulated online content.
The court granted an ex-parte interim injunction in favour of Tabu, protecting her personality and publicity rights. The order covers a wide range of unauthorised material, including AI-generated content, deepfake videos, face-morphed images, fake social media accounts and false statements presented as being connected to the actor.
The development is significant at a time when advances in artificial intelligence have made it increasingly easy to create realistic-looking images and videos of public figures without their consent. Such content can potentially mislead audiences and affect a celebrity’s reputation and professional identity.
Court directs platforms to take action
As part of the interim protection, several major digital platforms have been directed to remove or disable access to more than 150 URLs identified in the case. The platforms named in the proceedings include Google, Meta, X and Reddit.
The URLs reportedly contained material that allegedly misused Tabu’s identity in different ways. The court’s directions aim to prevent such content from continuing to circulate online while the legal proceedings move forward.
The order also extends to unauthorised merchandise and other commercial uses of Tabu’s identity. This is particularly important because a celebrity’s name, likeness, voice and image can have significant commercial value.
Growing concern over celebrity deepfakes
Tabu’s case comes amid increasing legal attention surrounding personality rights in India. Actors and other public figures have increasingly approached courts over the unauthorised use of their images, voices and identities, particularly as AI tools have made digital manipulation more sophisticated.
Deepfake technology can create convincing videos, photographs or audio featuring a person who may never have participated in the content. When such material is circulated without consent, it can create confusion about what is genuine and what has been artificially generated.
For celebrities, the issue is not limited to privacy. Unauthorised use can also affect their reputation, professional opportunities and the commercial value associated with their identity.
What Tabu’s protection means
The Delhi High Court’s interim order gives Tabu legal protection while the matter is being considered further. It reinforces the idea that a public figure’s identity cannot simply be used online without permission, even when technology makes it easy to create and distribute manipulated material.
The case also highlights the growing challenge courts face in dealing with AI-generated content. With digital platforms allowing information and images to spread rapidly, removing harmful or misleading material after it has already gone viral can be difficult.
For Tabu, the court’s intervention marks an important step in protecting her identity and public image from unauthorised exploitation. The directions to major online platforms also underline the responsibility of digital services to respond when specific unlawful or unauthorised content is brought to their attention.
As AI-generated content becomes increasingly common, cases such as Tabu’s could play an important role in shaping how personality rights and celebrity identities are protected in India’s digital space.
