ECI Cracks Down On Deepfakes, Sets 3-Hour Deadline For Fake Content Removal

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has instructed political parties to promptly delete any fake content from their social media channels within a three-hour window upon notification.

The panel has also instructed political parties to refrain from permitting their official social media accounts to disseminate deepfake audio or video content that breaches existing rules and regulations.

This notice to all parties comes a week after a BJP delegation, led by current IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, approached the Commission to demand "urgent measures required to address the impact of deep fakes on the electoral process".

The poll body hasn't banned political parties from using tech or AI tools; it has only restrained them from using such tools that “distort information or spread misinformation, which resultantly lowers the standards of electioneering”.

Parties have also been instructed to identify and warn the party person responsible for posting deepfakes.