Deepfake campaign: BRS complains against Congress to ECI

BRS has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission of India against the Congress accusing the latter of using deepfake technology to create false content, targeting BRS leaders and candidates contesting in the Assembly elections

Hyderabad: The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission of India (ECI) against the Congress accusing the latter of using deepfake technology to create false content, targeting BRS leaders and candidates contesting in the Assembly elections in the State. The party appealed to the Commission to initiate immediate action against unlawful use of technology by the Telangana Congress leaders.

In its complaint to the Chief Election Commissioner, Telangana Chief Electoral Officer and also the Director General of Police here, the BRS said reliable sources had provided information indicating that the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) was “involved” in the creation and dissemination of “fake audio and video” content through the use of deepfake technology and artificial intelligence.

---

The fabricated content features prominent BRS leaders including Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, Ministers KT Rama Rao, Harish Rao, MLC K Kavitha and other contesting candidates of the party, it said.

“We anticipate that this manipulated content is likely to be circulated across various social media platforms. We urge you to take necessary actions to identify and restrain the TPCC and its various legal, non-legal and invisible handlers from creating and disseminating such misleading content in media format, including but not limited to image, videos and memes,” BRS general secretary Soma Bharat Kumar said.