Bandana girl locks X account after her photos are misused using AI: ‘This has real-life consequences’

Who is ‘Bandana girl’?

For those who missed the trend, the woman went viral on November 2 after posting a short clip of herself travelling in an autorickshaw. Wearing a white top, silver earrings, soft makeup and a bandana tied around her head, she inadvertently earned the nickname “Bandana girl”.

The clip amassed millions of views and spawned countless recreations, memes and comments. “I have seen this Bandana girl more than my parents this month,” one user joked, summing up how widely the video circulated.

(Also Read: ‘Bandana Girl’ breaks the internet — and a Bengaluru founder’s job post too)

Why did she lock her X account?

But the attention soon took a darker turn. According to a post shared before she locked her profile, she said that AI-generated images and videos created using her face were being circulated online.

She allegedly issued a firm plea, saying, “This is going to be my last tweet for a while. There are a lot of AI-generated images and videos of me being circulated that I DID NOT CONSENT TO. It’s reached a lot of people I know and it’s affected me heavily. Please stop feeding AI applications media of real people. This has actual real-life consequences. Please ASK FOR CONSENT before you upload anything onto an AI platform.”

Social media reactions

The incident has sparked debate on the misuse of AI tools. Many users have since expressed support for her, calling for stronger digital consent norms.

“Women will be the biggest victims of generative AI,” one user wrote.

“One selfie → 85 M views → doxxed → deepfake p*rn → family finds out → account gone. All in 48 hours.The internet is brutal to girls who dare exist. Hope she’s okay,” commented another.

“dark times for something so simple,” said a third user. “this is really sad to hear,” wrote another.