Anita R. Ratnam
| Photo Credit: R. Ravindran
The Madras High Court on Wednesday (April 30, 2025) directed Meta Platforms Inc and Telegram FZ-LLC to take down all fake Facebook accounts and Telegram channels that had misused the photographs and videos of choreographer Anita R. Ratnam and had also used deepfake audio clips of her voice to solicit monetary investments from people in fraudulent schemes. Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy directed the two social media giants, based in the United States and United Arab Emirates, to first pull down a list of 11 fake Telegram channels and three Facebook accounts which Ms. Ratnam had listed in her plaint and then remove other such fake accounts too as and when Ms. Ratnam reports them to Meta and Telegram. To get today’s top stories from the State in your inbox, subscribe to our Tamil Nadu Today newsletterThe interim order was passed on a civil suit filed by the UNESCO award winning choreographer against infringement of her personality rights. Her counsel M.S. Bharath told the court his client was a choreographer, performer, producer, speaker, mentor, arts entrepreneur and the pioneer of Neo Bharatam, a unique dance style combining Bharatanatyam, Kathakali and Yoga. She began performing bharatanatyam in the 1970s and since then, she was involved in a myriad of activities related to various art forms. Ms. Ratnam had set up her own dance theatre, curated various festivals, developed her own movement style and made a significant contribution to the world of performing arts by producing and choreographing a large body of work, Mr. Bharath said. He also stated that the plaintiff had performed in more than 1,300 shows across 37 countries.In such circumstances, she came to know about the misuse of her photographs and videos in fake social media accounts in the last week of February this year. She, immediately, issued public caution notices in newspapers on March 5, 2025 and also lodged complaints with the cybercrime cell. She further approached Meta Platforms which took down more than 70 fake accounts which had misused her photos, videos and voice. Yet, since she continued to learn about the existence of many other such fake social media accounts, Ms. Ratnam had chosen to file the present John Doe suit (a fictitious name used to file a case against unknown individuals) regarding the infringement of her personality rights. She sought a restraint order against misuse of her personality/publicity rights for any commercial or personal gain. Published – April 30, 2025 08:23 pm IST