Rumors surfacing online in India recently misstated details about voting, claimed without evidence that the election would be manipulated, and urged violence against India’s Muslims.
Researchers who study misinformation and hate speech in India claim that tech companies’ lax enforcement of their standards has created ideal conditions for damaging content that might alter public opinion, incite violence, and leave millions of voters unsure what to trust.
In a year filled with major elections, India’s sweeping vote stands out. The world’s most populous country speaks dozens of languages and has the highest number of WhatsApp users and YouTube subscribers. Nearly 1 billion citizens are eligible to vote in the election, which will take place through June.
Tech giants such as Google and Meta, which owns Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram, claim they are attempting to tackle false or hateful content while assisting voters in finding reputable sources.
However, experts who have long followed disinformation in India believe their assurances are hollow after years of failed enforcement and “cookie-cutter” techniques that ignore India’s linguistic, religious, geographic, and cultural diversity.
The group and another organization, India Civil Watch International, discovered that Meta was responsible for all political advertisements and posts containing anti-Muslim hate speech, Hindu nationalist narratives, misogynistic posts about female candidates, and ads encouraging violence against political opponents. The advertisements were viewed over 65 million times in 90 days earlier this year.
AI is this year’s newest threat, as technological advancements make it easier than ever to create lifelike images, video, and voice. AI deepfakes are appearing in elections around the world, from Moldova to Bangladesh.
Also Read: The EU Parliament Enacts The World’s First Laws Regulating Artificial Intelligence
