The Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), under the Ministry of Home Affairs, has named actress Rashmika Mandanna as the ‘National Ambassador for Promoting Cyber Safety.’
In this role, the actress will lead awareness programmes to educate the public on cyber threats such as online fraud, deepfake videos, cyberbullying, and AI-driven malicious content.
Reflecting on her new role, Mandanna said, “Cybercrime is a serious and widespread danger impacting individuals, businesses, and communities on a global scale.”
She added, “Having experienced it myself, I am committed to raising awareness and spreading the message of cyber safety to inspire meaningful change. It is essential that we join forces to fight these threats and protect our digital spaces.”
Notably, last year, Mandanna was one of the victims of deepfake videos circulating on the internet. The video, which appeared to feature Mandanna, used generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools to create a highly realistic synthetic video.
In response, the actor publicly condemned the video, followed by outrage in the country. Two months later, Delhi police arrested the culprit behind the case.
The central government is also considering creating a central registry of suspects to crack down on the rising instances of cybercrime in the country.
It is pertinent to note that I4C, established under the Ministry of Home Affairs to combat cybercrime, has issued more than 600 advisories and blocked numerous websites, social media pages, mobile apps, and accounts operated by cybercriminals.
While deepfakes are not yet covered under any Indian laws, the Information Technology Act provides certain protections for individual privacy and places the responsibility of curbing the spread of such content on digital intermediaries.
If a video is made without an individual’s explicit consent, they can approach the courts and file grievances under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
