India’s Election Commission has issued an advisory to all political parties, urging them to refrain from using deepfakes and other forms of misi

India urges political parties to avoid using deepfakes in election campaigns

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2024-05-07 10:00:05

India’s Election Commission has issued an advisory to all political parties, urging them to refrain from using deepfakes and other forms of misinformation in their social media posts during the country’s ongoing general elections. The move comes after the constitutional body faced criticism for not doing enough to combat such campaigns in the world’s most populous nation.

The advisory, released on Monday (PDF), requires political parties to remove any deepfake audio or video within three hours of becoming aware of its existence. Parties are also advised to identify and warn the individuals responsible for creating the manipulated content. The Election Commission’s action follows a Delhi High Court order asking the body to resolve the matter after the issue was raised in a petition.

India, home to over 1.5 billion people, began its general elections on April 19, with the voting process set to conclude on June 1. The election has already been marred by controversies surrounding the use of deepfakes and misinformation.