Biggest Threat to India’s Upcoming Polls: Misinformation Spread Through Deepfakes

Misinformation and disinformation spread through AI-generated deepfakes and fake content pose the biggest threat to India’s upcoming elections, according to exposure management company Tenable. The threats will be shared on social media platforms like WhatsApp, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram.

Satnam Narang, Senior Staff Research Engineer at Tenable, stated, “The biggest threats to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections are misinformation and disinformation as part of influence operations conducted by malicious actors against the electorate.” A recent report by Tidal Cyber also highlighted India as one of the countries facing high levels of election cyber interference threats.

Recent instances of deepfake videos of US Presidents Bill Clinton and Joe Biden being fabricated and circulated indicate a concerning trend. Experts note the rise in deepfake content with over 7,900 videos online in late 2017, which nearly doubled to 14,678 by early 2019, showing a continual increase.

Narang mentioned, “With the increase in generative AI tools, we may see deepfakes impersonating notable candidates seeking to retain their seats or those hoping to unseat current parliament members.” The Indian government has already issued directives to social media platforms like X and Meta (formerly Facebook) to regulate and remove AI-generated deepfake content.

The Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY) has also advised platforms to take down deepfakes ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Tenable suggested that identifying deepfake images could be as simple as looking for nonsensical or alien-like text within the content. Vigilance is key in combating this growing threat.