India files case against top lawyer over deepfake video of Lavrov – media

Indian police have filed a case against a senior lawyer of the Supreme Court for sharing a deepfake AI video purportedly showing Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov criticizing New Delhi’s position on global issues.

Prasanth Bhushan, a founder of the opposition Aam Aadmi Party who was later expelled from it, allegedly shared the video on social media, with the comment, “a tight slap by the Russian foreign minister on India.” The post was later deleted.

Deepfake content generated by AI is being increasingly used in politics worldwide to sow confusion and incite violence.

The Special Cell of the Delhi police, an elite investigation unit, said it came across an X handle on Tuesday that claimed “a purported doctored video of the Russian Foreign Minister” was shared from Bhushan’s handle.

It alleged that the video tried to disseminate “misleading, defamatory, and inflammatory content to incite public disturbance and spread rumors.”

The Indian Foreign Ministry fact-checked the video on Monday and determined it to be fake, after the Russian Embassy in Delhi reportedly denied its authenticity.

“Fake Alert!!! The video of the Russian Foreign Minister being used in this post is fake!” the MEA posted on X.

Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar met with Lavrov at the G20 summit in Atlanta on October 31. Another doctored video supposedly showing Jaishankar expressing displeasure over Lavrov’s remarks in the deepfake has also been shared on social media.