Election Commission to Political Parties: Remove Fake Content Within 3 Hours

The Election Commission has issued stringent directives to political parties, mandating the removal of fake content from their social media platforms within three hours of notification. Parties are also required to identify and caution the individuals responsible within their ranks.

Upon detection of deepfake audios/videos, political parties must promptly remove the content, ensuring it is taken down within three hours, and take measures to identify and warn the responsible individuals within the party, as stated by the election authority.

Citing numerous violations of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) and existing legal provisions by political parties and their representatives on social media during elections, the Election Commission has emphasized the need to combat misinformation, synthetic content, and the misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, particularly deep fakes, which distort information or propagate falsehoods.

Expressing concerns over the misuse of social media platforms by political parties and their representatives, the Commission has pointed out instances of disseminating misinformation, content manipulation, and impersonation, all of which could sway voter opinions and undermine trust in the electoral process.

To address these issues, the Commission has directed parties to promptly remove offending content, caution the responsible individuals within their ranks, report unlawful information and fake user accounts to the relevant platforms, and escalate persistent issues to the Grievance Appellate Committee under Rule 3A of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.

Notably, recent instances of deepfake videos featuring prominent figures such as Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, and actors Aamir Khan and Ranveer Singh were removed from certain social media platforms, accompanied by the filing of criminal complaints.

The Election Commission has stressed the importance of political parties adhering to these guidelines, ensuring the integrity and fairness of the electoral process.