Misinformation has become a major concern as India gears up for its massive election, set to run from April 19 to June 1. With over 830 million internet users and a significant presence on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, the country is particularly vulnerable to false information and disinformation. The World Economic Forum has ranked India as having the highest risk of misinformation and disinformation. Adding to the problem is the rise of AI-generated deepfakes, which further complicate the situation.
The consequences of misinformation are not limited to election fairness; they can also lead to real-life violence and increased animosity towards minority groups. Pratik Sinha, co-founder of Alt News, a non-profit fact-checking website in India, highlights the deliberate creation of misinformation to polarize society. He notes that the use of misinformation to target specific communities has become a disturbing trend with the rise of social media.
One of the challenges in combatting misinformation in India is the country’s vast diversity in language and culture. Fact-checkers face difficulties in reviewing and filtering out misleading content due to this diversity. Angie Drobnic Holan, the director of the International Fact-Checking Network, emphasizes that India’s size and history of democracy contribute to the high demand for fact-checking. She also points out that the multiple languages spoken in India further complicate the issue.
The Indian government has taken steps to address the problem by updating its IT intermediary rules in 2022. These rules require social media companies to remove misleading content within 72 hours of being reported. However, critics argue that enforcement is weak, and there are concerns about selective enforcement by these platforms. Prateek Waghre, executive director of the Internet Freedom Foundation, highlights the need for clear and specific rules to prevent vague interpretations.
While Google and Meta (formerly known as Facebook) have made announcements about limiting misleading content during Indian elections, there have been no significant product-related changes or stringent actions against fake news. In fact, Meta reportedly cut funding to news organizations for fact-checking on WhatsApp just before the election. This lack of action by tech giants has allowed fake news to proliferate on social media platforms. Doctored videos of celebrities endorsing political parties and fake news about the Model Code of Conduct have been widely spread online ahead of the election.
Hamsini Hariharan, an expert at the fact-checking startup Logically, points out the trend of “cheapfakes” in India. These are content pieces generated with less sophisticated methods of altering images, videos, and audio. Cheapfakes are easily shared across social media platforms and contribute to the spread of misinformation.
To hold political candidates and social media platforms accountable for any misuse, 11 civil society organizations in India have urged the Indian election commission to take action. Hariharan notes that the scale and sophistication of misinformation have increased significantly in the last five years due to increased internet penetration, low media literacy, and the availability of technologies to manipulate audiovisual messages.
Alt News’ Sinha agrees that misleading online content has rapidly risen in India, and social media companies are not doing enough to address the issue. He questions the effectiveness of their fact-checking efforts and highlights the lack of transparency in reporting their progress.
Holan believes there is a need for product changes that prioritize accuracy and reliability. While the platforms invested in trust and safety programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a noticeable pullback since then.
Despite these concerns, Meta (Facebook) and X (Google) have not provided significant updates or investments to restrict misleading content in India. However, a Meta spokesperson mentioned the existence of a WhatsApp tip line and an awareness campaign on Instagram to combat misinformation.
In conclusion, as India faces its largest election ever, the danger of misinformation looms large. The government has taken steps to tackle the problem, but enforcement remains a challenge. Tech giants like Google and Meta have made some efforts but have not implemented significant product-related changes. The proliferation of fake news and the use of cheapfakes on social media platforms pose serious threats to election integrity and societal harmony in India.