Recently, there have been significant developments in a controversy surrounding the circulation of a deepfake video featuring Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The X (formerly Twitter) account of Jharkhand Congress, has been suspended in response to a legal demand by Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Union Home Ministry, following reports that a deepfake video of Amit Shah was shared from this handle.
Jharkhand Congress handle withheld by X (formerly known as Twitter) in India, in response to a legal demand
A ‘deepfake morphed video’ of Union Home Minister Amit Shah was posted on the handle pic.twitter.com/kQKkVJA7LR
— ANI (@ANI) May 1, 2024
Notices have been sent to 20 politicians and three individuals having been arrested thus far. Among those arrested on April 29 were Jignesh Mevani, a Congress MLA from Ahmedabad, a worker of the Aam Aadmi Party, and a suspect from Assam.
These developments have occurred against the backdrop of ongoing elections, where the political atmosphere is highly charged. The BJP has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission against the Congress, claiming that it circulated a “deep fake and morphed” video of Amit Shah to disrupt the electoral process. The BJP has demanded strict action against the party in response to these allegations.
A BJP delegation consisting of Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and the party’s national media department head, Anil Baluni, stated “Congress wants to derail the entire election process through a deep fake and morphed video (of Amit Shah)”.
This controversy highlights the growing concern over the spread of misinformation and the use of deepfake technology in political discourse. It underscores the need for vigilance and measures to combat the spread of fake news, especially during sensitive political periods such as elections.
ALSO READ
Multiple Schools in Delhi and Noida Receive Bomb Threats via Email, Prompting Evacuations
