Apr 30, 2024 06:52 AM IST
The BJP asked the commission to mandate social media platforms to enhance detection and removal of deepfakes related to elections, block repeat offenders, and run prominent newspaper ads about their prevalence
NEW DELHI: A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) delegation, led by IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, approached the Election Commission on Monday to demand “urgent measures” to address the impact of deepfakes on the electoral process, citing an “alarming rise” in their use during the ongoing elections.
However, of the seven instances the BJP provided as examples of deepfakes, only two appeared to be cases of altered audio or video through the use of AI. In four others, videos were clipped or statements reordered to change context, but no new content appeared to have been incorporated.
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The BJP asked the commission to mandate social media platforms to enhance detection and removal of deepfakes related to elections, block repeat offenders, and run prominent newspaper ads about their prevalence. The party wants platforms to proactively detect and remove deepfakes, and block accounts posting them.
Deepfakes have become a growing concern for their ability to portray people saying or doing something they did not. In 2020, BJP’s Manoj Tiwari used such AI-generated video to address voters in multiple languages.
The BJP cited deepfakes of actors Ranveer Singh and Aamir Khan, who have filed FIRs, as genuine examples. Other cases involved doctored videos, like one posted by Telangana Congress’s Twitter account editing a speech by Amit Shah.
Apart from its representation on deepfakes, the BJP filed two other complaints with the Election Commission – one against Congress’s Supriya Shrinate for using children in an election campaign video, and the other against Trinamool Congress for the violence against BJP workers in West Bengal.
Cong flags BJP’s poll code violations
Separately, a Congress delegation submitted 20 complaints to the commission against the BJP for alleged Model Code of Conduct violations, ranging from using religious iconography and making communally charged statements, to spreading misinformation about Congress on social media, to candidates carrying large amounts of cash, to voter intimidation.
Congress sought re-polling in several constituencies due to reported irregularities and low turnout. It also complained about BJP candidates using religious references in ads and speeches, and spreading misinformation about Congress imposing Sharia law.
The party said it also wants an inquiry into a BJP member being found with ₹2 crore in cash and a receipt for ₹5 crore withdrawn from a party account.
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Aditi covers technology policy, online free speech, privacy, cybersecurity, and surveillance.
