Social media flooded with misinformation as India heads to the polls – The Mercury News

Misinformation about India’s election is surging online as the world’s most populous country votes. Bollywood stars seldom weigh in on politics, so videos showing two celebrities criticizing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi — and endorsing his main opposition, the Congress party — were bound to go viral. But the clips of A-list actors Aamir Khan and Ranveer Singh were fake, AI-generated videos that were yet another example of the false or misleading claims swirling online with the goal of influencing India’s election.

Claims circulating online in India recently have misstated details about casting a ballot, claimed without evidence that the election will be rigged, and called for violence against India’s Muslims. Researchers who track misinformation and hate speech in India say tech companies’ poor enforcement of their own policies has created perfect conditions for harmful content that could distort public opinion, spur violence, and leave millions of voters wondering what to believe.

Tech companies like Google and Meta, the owner of Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram, say they are working to combat deceptive or hateful content while helping voters find reliable sources. However, researchers who have long tracked disinformation in India say their promises ring hollow after years of failed enforcement and “cookie-cutter” approaches that fail to account for India’s linguistic, religious, geographic, and cultural diversity.

Given India’s size and its importance for social media companies, more focus is needed to combat misinformation and ensure a fair election process. With nearly 1 billion voters eligible to cast a ballot in the election, the stakes are high for ensuring accurate information reaches the public.