After Aroob Jatoi, the wife of Ducky Bhai, who was previously targeted by deepfake technology, Pakistani actress Hania Aamir has become another high-profile victim of this troubling trend.
A deepfake video digitally alters a person’s face or body to make them appear as someone else. It can also mimic the person’s voice on another individual. Such videos are often used maliciously or to spread false information.
Recently, Hania Aamir found herself at the center of controversy after deepfake videos featuring her face went viral on social media. The actress took to Instagram to address the issue and clarify the situation to her followers.
Hania shared a screengrab from a local publication with the headline, “Hania Aamir’s indecent video goes viral,” expressing her alarm over the deepfake videos circulating online. She warned her fans, stating, “This AI stuff is very scary,” and emphasized, “These are NOT my videos if anyone is convinced they are.” She expressed her frustration over the lack of regulations surrounding AI technology and questioned, “Can there be some laws in place?”
Further investigation led Hania to identify the alleged perpetrator behind the deepfake videos as an India-based netizen with the username “Anureet Sandhu.” The account, which initially had over 22,000 followers and featured more than 100 posts of AI-generated content using Hania’s face, was renamed multiple times to evade detection.
Hania Aamir urged her followers to report the account, saying, “I’m blocked, but can you guys please report this account?” Her call to action led to the removal of the videos and increased scrutiny of the account.
The situation garnered additional support from fellow artist Adnan Zafar, also known as Ken Doll, who publicly urged his followers to report the offending account and mentioned “No women should face this!!”
In a follow-up story, Adnan announced, “We did it, thank you everyone,” celebrating the deactivation of the account. This incident highlights the urgent need for stricter regulations on the use of AI technology to protect individuals’ privacy and prevent such misuse.
There is no doubt, AI and deepfake is leading to not just blurring the lines, (we are far beyond that). Now, it’s leaving us devoid of our ability to decipher, know what is real and what is fake and that in it self is very scary. It is imperative that as an online community, we exercize pressure on accounts that spread deepfake videos and misuse AI tools for personal benefits. It is also critical that we act as a community to report such cases, whether they are targeting a celebrity, a public figure, a friend or even someone whose views you do not agree with personally – deepfake is not about exacting vengeance, or saying “it’s not my business”, it could be you or someone close to you too.
So till the world of technology finds a solution, we the online community can find our own, and it pretty much works, as we see in the case of Hania Aamir! Well done to all those who reported the account and were instrumental in getting the video deleted online.
