Michael V. to take legal action if deepfake creator continues deception

GMA Network

05-06-2025

Michael V. will take legal action if the content creator behind the deepfake video that used his identity continues his deception.
In Raffy Tima's report on "24 Oras," Thursday, the Kapuso Comedy Genius said that he was alarmed by the video falsely showing him endorsing a product.
"Alam ko kasi maraming mga netizens, maraming mga mahilig sa social media na baka maapektuhan in a negative way, baka maniwala," Bitoy said.
"Titingnan natin kung ano gagawin niya kasi 'pagka persistent siya, 'pagka gumawa ulit siya ng aksyon at inulit niya, mukhang gagawan na namin ng legal action," he said.
Other prominent personalities who have also recently fallen victim to deepfakes are Mel Tiangco, Vicky Morales, Mariz Umali, and Dr. Gary Sy, who filed a complaint with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), citing the negative impact on his patients and his reputation as a doctor.
"Natatakot ako na kapag may nangyari sa kanila, ay ako ang mabuntungan nila," Dr. Gary said.
According to Roberto Tayag, CEO of Asia Pacific CyberQ Group, it is challenging for an unsuspecting viewer to immediately scrutinize a video they don't expect to be a deepfake.
In response to the rising number of complaints from individuals deceived by fake endorsements, the Department of Information and Technology (DICT) said that they are already taking action against the spread of deepfake content.
The department is in discussions with telecommunications companies and social media platforms to implement proactive measures to prevent such fake endorsements.
"Ang tawag po doon sa mekanismo na iyon ay geo-blocking/geo locking. 'Yung same na mechanism po ng technology na 'yan 'yung sinasabi ko sa mga streaming platform at sa mga social media platform. Alam n'yo, kaya niyo namang i-prevent 'yan proactively eh," DICT secretary Henry Aguda said. —Carby Rose Basina/MGP, GMA Integrated News