Tabu’s image, voice cannot be used without permission, court orders

Bollywood actress Tabu has won a major legal victory to stop the misuse of her name, image, voice and any content created using artificial intelligence (AI) or ‘deepfake’ technology without permission.

The Delhi High Court has issued this ban on major digital platforms like Google, Meta and X, essentially as an interim order to protect the personality of the actress and publicity rights. A single bench of Justice Jyoti Singh gave the verdict.

The court directed international platforms like Google, Meta (Facebook and Instagram), X (formerly Twitter) and Reddit to immediately remove more than 150 unauthorised and misleading links (URLs) containing Tabu’s name and picture.

As a result of this court order, Tabu’s real name ‘Tabassum Fatima Hashmi’, her stage name ‘Tabu’, stills, movie scenes, voices, signatures, and any distorted content created through AI technology or deepfake cannot be used for commercial purposes.