Maharashtra Government Directs Strict Action to Combat Deep Fakes During  Elections

Mumbai : The Maharashtra government on Friday directed the state Director General of Police (DGP) to take stern action against those involved in creating deepfake videos, clips, photos or other content and circulating it through social media / digital media during the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. Deep fakes, which utilize sophisticated technologies like Photoshop, Machine Learning (ML), or Artificial Intelligence (AI), involve the creation of misleading content that can severely impact public perception. During election periods, such manipulated content about candidates, political parties, or pertinent issues can circulate widely, leading to misinformation and defamation.

The government has said that these are created by abusing various techniques such as Photoshop, Machine Learning (ML) or Artificial Intelligence (AI). The misuse of this technique during elections is a matter of concern.

Such improperly created deep fake videos, clips or photos appear to be real and lead to misunderstanding or defamation of the concerned.

During the election period, there is an increase in such cases and to curb this for a clean and transparent election process, the government has given instructions to the state DGP to take strict action against those who create and broadcast ‘deepfake’ content, said the government release.

The Election Commission has also given instructions in its guidelines to curb misinformation about candidates, political parties or an election issue or falsely circulating genuine photos, audio, and videos by altering them.