New Poll Code: Political Parties Face 3-Hour Takedown Rule for Misleading AI Content
NEW DELHI/PATNA: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued a fresh and stringent advisory to political parties, candidates, and campaign representatives, introducing mandatory disclosure rules for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and synthetic content used in electioneering ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections. The move aims to combat the rising threat of “deepfakes” and digitally altered media that could potentially mislead the electorate.
Under the new directives, any synthetically generated or AI-altered image, audio, or video disseminated for campaigning purposes must carry a clear, prominent, and legible label. Acceptable labels include ‘AI-Generated,’ ‘Digitally Enhanced,’ or ‘Synthetic Content.’
Prominence of Label: For images and videos, the disclosure label must cover at least 10 percent of the visible display area. For audio content, the label must be present throughout the first 10 percent of the duration.
Source Disclosure: All such content must also prominently disclose the name of the entity responsible for its generation in the accompanying caption or metadata.
Consent and Misrepresentation: The advisory strictly calls for restraint on publishing or forwarding any content that is unlawful and misrepresents the identity, appearance, or voice of any person without their consent with the intent to deceive or mislead voters.
Takedown and Records: In a strong measure, the ECI has mandated that political parties must take down any such non-compliant or misleading content within 3 hours of it being noticed or reported. Furthermore, parties are now required to maintain internal records of all AI-generated campaign material, including creator details and timestamps, for verification when sought by the Commission.
This comprehensive advisory underscores the ECI’s resolve to maintain a level playing field and preserve the integrity of the electoral process in the face of rapidly evolving digital technologies.
