Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has come under scrutiny after approving a series of AI-manipulated political advertisements during India’s ongoing election. According to an exclusive report shared with The Guardian, these advertisements spread disinformation and incited religious violence. The ads were created and submitted by India Civil Watch International (ICWI) and Ekō to test Meta’s ability to detect and block harmful political content during India’s 2024 election.
ICWI, dedicated to upholding democratic rights in India and North America, and Ekō, a corporate accountability organization, submitted the ads to Meta’s ad library. The ads contained inflammatory content including known slurs against Muslims and calls for violence. One ad falsely claimed an opposition leader wanted to “erase Hindus from India” and included a manipulated photo of a Pakistani flag.
Out of 22 ads submitted in various Indian languages, 14 were approved, including ads featuring hate speech, disinformation, and AI-manipulated images. These ads targeted Muslims and contained violent and supremacist language. Although five ads were rejected for violating Meta’s policies, the 14 approved ads also broke Meta’s own policies on hate speech, bullying, misinformation, and violence.
Meta’s spokesperson stated that those wishing to run election-related ads must go through an authorization process and comply with all applicable laws. They asserted that Meta removes content violating community standards, regardless of its creation method, and uses independent fact-checkers to review AI-generated content. However, the report highlighted that Meta failed to recognize the political nature of the approved ads, many of which targeted political opponents of the BJP.
Meta has faced ongoing criticism for not adequately curbing Islamophobic hate speech and violence-inciting content on its platforms in India. In some instances, such content has led to real-life violence, including riots and lynchings. Despite extensive preparations and an expanded network of local fact-checkers, Meta’s systems failed a significant test during the Indian election, raising concerns about the platform’s role in amplifying harmful narratives.
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