The Election Commission (EC) issued a directive instructing political parties to swiftly remove any false information from their social media channels within three hours of being alerted to its presence.
As part of its efforts to uphold fair play in election campaigning, the poll panel has issued directives to political parties regarding responsible and ethical utilization of social media. These directives aim to create a level playing field for all stakeholders, following the Election Commission's observation of certain violations by political parties.
Recently, deepfake videos depicting Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, and actors Aamir Khan and Ranveer Singh surfaced on specific social media platforms. These videos were subsequently removed, and criminal complaints were lodged in response.
The Election Commission also cautioned political parties against the misuse of artificial intelligence-based tools for creating deepfakes, which manipulate information or spread misinformation. The Commission stressed the importance of maintaining the integrity of the electoral process.
"Taking cognizance of certain violations of MCC and the extant legal provisions by Political Parties/their representatives while using social media for election campaigning, the Commission today has issued directions to political parties for responsible and ethical use of social media in election campaigning to ensure level playing field among all stakeholders," a EC statement said.