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India Election Misinformation
FILE- Women queue up to cast their vote during the second phase of polling in the six-week long national election in Barmer district, western Rajasthan state, India, April 26, 2024. Misinformation about India's election is surging online as the world's most populous country votes. The country has a huge online ecosystem, with the largest number of WhatsApp and YouTube users in the world. Nearly 1 billion people are eligible to vote in the multiphase election that ends next month.(AP Photo/Deepak Sharma, File)

As India votes, misinformation surges on social media: 'The whole country is paying the price'

Misinformation about India's election is surging online as the world's most populous country votes

By David Klepper And Krutika Pathi
Published - May 02, 2024, 01:22 AM ET
Last Updated - May 27, 2024, 01:04 AM EDT

NEW DELHI (AP) — 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. Both actors filed complaints with police but such actions do little to stanch the flow of such misinformation.

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.

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