On Monday, the Election Commission (EC) asked political parties to remove all fake content from their social media handles across platforms within three hours of this content being brought to their notice, as per reports.
The EC has also asked parties to avoid impersonating others, post content that is derogatory towards women, abstain from using children in campaigns, avoid any harm to animals and refrain from circulating or publishing deepfake videos.
Recently, there were deepfake videos circulating of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Congress’s Rahul Gandhi and of actors Aamir Khan and Ranveer Singh. These videos were promptly taken down from social media platforms and complaints were filed to this effect.
Additionally, the EC also alerted political parities of against the misuse of AI tools to create said deepfakes or disseminate misinformation. The EC issued directions to political parties for ethical and responsible use of social media amid the elections to ensure a level playing field for all stakeholders.