CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has ordered social media platforms Meta and Telegram to remove accounts that have been using the images and audio of renowned dancer Anita Ratnam without authorisation.
Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy issued the interim order recently based on a batch of applications and suits filed by the dancer who has alleged that several persons have used her image and audio in their social media accounts without authorisation for luring the public to make financial investments and thereby have committed infringement of her personality rights. The judge observed that it appears, on a prima facie assessment, the celebrity status and personality rights of the plaintiff have been misused for commercial purposes.
“Therefore, there shall be an order of interim injunction directing the respondents (Meta and Telegram) to take down the links mentioned in the plaint,” the judge said in the order.
He also directed these social media platforms to take down any other links, if identified and communicated by the dancer.
The counsel, appearing for the dancer, submitted that her “image has been misused” on the Meta and Telegram platforms, and her “voice was mimicked probably by use of AI”.
The counsel also told the court that fake images of her have been used for luring the public to make financial investments, and sought an order to remove such social media accounts.