Tharoor Sues Over AI Deepfakes in Delhi High Court

New Delhi Congress MP Shashi Tharoor filed a civil suit in the Delhi High Court on Friday against the circulation of AI-generated deepfake videos depicting him praising Pakistan and making other politically sensitive statements. Justice Mini Pushkarna issued summons to social media platforms X and Meta Platforms, as well as the central government, and indicated she would pass an interim order in Tharoor's favor.

Tharoor, the MP from Thiruvananthapuram and chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, discovered the videos around March 2026 during his campaign for the Kerala Legislative Assembly elections. The suit alleges that unidentified individuals used artificial intelligence and machine learning to clone his face, voice, vocabulary, and mannerisms, creating hyperrealistic content that he never produced. This unauthorized use, the plea contends, violates his personality and publicity rights, as well as his right to privacy under Articles 19 and 21 of the Constitution.

Senior advocate Amit Sibal, representing Tharoor, told the court that the videos harm his reputation as a patriot and former external affairs minister. "India Today and PTI have...