In a candid chat with digital creator Raj Shamani, Bollywood actress Janhvi Kapoor shared a traumatic incident from her school days that left a lasting impact. While attending an IT class, Kapoor stumbled upon altered images of herself on an adult site. "I don’t know if it was a deepfake, but it was something like that," she revealed. The discovery was unsettling, made even more shocking by the fact that it happened in a school environment. "We had IT class in school, and boys used to go on those sites for fun. My pictures were on there. And this was in school. So that was a weird experience," Kapoor explained.
Kapoor continues to face challenges from digitally manipulated content even years after the initial incident. AI-generated visuals of her in outfits or poses she’s never worn or posed in are occasionally circulated online, impacting her professional life. "It creates a certain impression. If tomorrow I tell a director I’m not comfortable wearing something, someone can pull up those pictures and say, ‘But you’ve done this before,’” she admitted. The emotional toll of losing control over her digital image weighs heavily on her. "At some point, I was like, this is the cost you have to pay. There is no morality in a lot of these things on social media. I am not at peace with it," she added.
“It's like fighting a ghost – how do you defend against something you're not even aware of?” Kapoor expressed.
By bravely sharing her story, Kapoor puts a spotlight on pressing issues like privacy, digital harassment, and the misuse of AI-generated content. Experts highlight that young actors and public figures are particularly vulnerable to such exploitation. Despite the challenges of speaking out against these issues due to potential backlash, Kapoor underscores the need for stricter online regulations and greater platform accountability. Her revelations contribute to the broader conversation on enhancing digital safety for all, serving as a poignant reminder of the emotional and professional consequences faced by individuals at the mercy of online harassment and technology misuse.