Sara, the daughter of the legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, recently found herself targeted by deepfake technology, prompting her to respond strongly to the circulated fake images on social media. Expressing her dismay, she criticized specific ‘parody’ accounts on Instagram for creating and disseminating these misleading deepfake photos, asserting that they were completely divorced from reality. This incident echoes a previous uproar on social media triggered by a ‘deepfake video’ featuring Bollywood actor Rashmika Mandana.
In a comprehensive Instagram post, Sara conveyed her serious concerns about accounts pretending to be her on social media. She began her message by acknowledging the potential of social media as a platform for sharing both happiness and sorrows but cautioned against its current excessive use, which distorts the authenticity of online content.
“Social media serves as an excellent platform for everyone to share their moments of joy, sadness, and daily experiences. However, the misuse of technology is disheartening as it undermines the truth and genuineness of online content. I have come across deepfake images of myself that bear no resemblance to reality,” she expressed through an Instagram story.
Highlighting the issue of impersonation, she remarked, “Several accounts on X (formerly Twitter) have clearly been fabricated with the aim of impersonating me and misleading people. I do not possess an account on X, and I urge X to investigate and suspend such deceptive accounts,” she urged, calling for action from the platform.
Concluding her statement, Tendulkar stressed the importance of prioritizing truth over entertainment and advocated for communication grounded in trust and reality.
“Entertainment should never compromise the truth. Let’s promote communication that is built on trust and genuine representation,” she concluded.
