Take down YouTube channels hosting deepfake videos of Rajat Sharma within 36 hours: Delhi HC to Google

The Delhi High Court on Friday directed Google LLC to take down two YouTube channels hosting and circulating deepfake and fabricated videos using the personality rights of senior journalist Rajat Sharma.

The high court ordered Google to take them down within 36 hours and to disclose BSI details, access and contact details and monetisation data of the channels to Sharma within one week.

"Keeping in the averments made in the application categorically asserting the videos uploaded on these channels are fake, doctored and AI generated impersonating plaintiff no. 1 (Sharma) and spreading misinformation, the court is satisfied that the plaintiff has made out a case for issuance of directions as prayed for," Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora said.

The court directed Sharma and Google to have a mutual meeting where the journalist can bring to Google's attention the deepfake content.

It asked Google to ensure that identical content is removed to obviate the plaintiff's onus of making an endeavour to look out for such content on the channels.

The action is not only necessary to protect the plaintiff's common law rights and statutory rights but also to help in stopping the spreading of misinformation, the court said.

It allowed the fresh interim application of Sharma in his suit seeking protection of his personality rights.

The court was hearing the journalist's suit against several defendants.

The lawsuit alleges that the firms were perpetuating gross misinformation, including through wrongful use of AI for the creation of doctored videos bearing distorted, modified, and modulated images or voice and other personality traits of Sharma.

The counsel representing Sharma submitted that the two channels were primarily dedicated to the journalist, so they were praying for the taking down of the channels and not just the content.

He said the YouTube channels unauthorisedly lifted copyright footage from Sharma's news channel, and doctored and edited it.

The counsel called the two channels "rogue" for hosting deepfake, fabricated videos and impersonating Sharma, as well as other prominent Indian journalists.

The court granted liberty to Sharma to approach Google regarding any other false or fake videos uploaded against him on any other channel and ordered Google to take them down within 48 hours.

Earlier, another bench of the high court passed an interim order protecting Sharma's personality rights, while ordering the removal of any content bearing doctored traits of the TV journalist.