Don't Misuse AI-Based Tools in Bihar Poll Campaigning: EC to Parties

New Delhi: While emphasizing the need to uphold the integrity of the electoral process, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has warned political parties against misusing Artificial Intelligence (AI) based tools to create deep fakes that distort information or propagate misinformation over social media platforms during the Bihar Assembly polls and the eight bypolls.

The ECI has said that as per provision of Model Code of Conduct (MCC), criticism of other parties has to be confined to their policies and programme, past record and work. “Parties and candidates shall refrain from criticism of all aspects of private life not connected with the public activities of the leaders or workers of other parties. Criticism of other parties or their workers based on unverified allegations or distortion shall be avoided,” the ECI said.

The ECI has directed that all political parties and their leaders, candidates and star campaigners shall take necessary measures for prominent labeling of Al-generated/synthetic content, if any, being shared for campaigning through their social media platforms or in the form of advertisements using clear notations such as "Al-Generated", "Digitally Enhanced", or "Synthetic Content".

The poll body added that strict watch on social media posts is being kept to ensure that the election atmosphere is not vitiated. “The Commission has made elaborate arrangements for ensuring the effective implementation of MCC Guidelines. Any violation of these Guidelines would be dealt with strictly,” ECI said.

The ECI deployed around 8.5 lakh officials for elections in Bihar. These include nearly 4.53 lakh polling personnel, 2.5 lakh police officials, 28,370 counting personnel, 17,875 micro observers, 9,625 sector officers, 4,840 micro-observers for counting and up to 90,712 anganwadi sevikas may also be deployed.

The election machinery, including 90,712 BLOs and 243 EROs is available for the voters on a phone call and through the Book-a-call to BLO facility on the ECINet App. Call centre number +91 (STD Code) 1950 is also available for registering any complaint/query at the DEO/RO level.

In a first, one General Observer has been deployed for each of the 243 constituencies in Bihar to function as the eyes and ears of the ECI. In addition, 38 police observers and 67 expenditure observers have also been deployed. The observer will station themselves in their respective Constituencies and meet political parties/candidates on a regular basis to address their concerns, ECI said.

The poll body has also said that advertisements of “offending and misleading nature” published in print media have been brought to the notice of the Commission in the past. Such advertisements in the last stage of the election vitiate the entire election process as the affected candidates and parties will not have any opportunity of providing clarification and rebuttal in such cases.

“In order to ensure that such instances are not repeated, and no untoward incident takes placc because of any inflammatory, misleading or hate advertisements, the Commission hereby directs that no political party or candidate or any other organisation or person shall publish any advertisement in the print media on poll day and one day prior to polling, unless the contents of political advertisements are pre-certified from the MCMC Committee (media certification and monitoring) at the state/district level.

The ECI has also made it clear that during their programmes public broadcast platforms cannot be used by political parties for criticism of other countries, attack on religions or communitics, anything obscene or defamatory incitement of violence, anything amounting to contempt of court; aspersion against thc integrity of the President and judiciary, anything affecting the unity, sovereignty and integrity of the nation, and criticism by name of any person.