Political ads approved by Meta in India inciting violence: Report

Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, approved a series of AI-manipulated political advertisements during the ongoing Lok Sabha Elections in India to spread disinformation and incite religious violence, The Guardian reported citing a report by India Civil Watch International (ICWI) and Ekō.

The report revealed that Facebook allowed anti-Muslim content on its platform which contained slurs, such as “let’s burn this vermin (referring to Muslims in India),” “Hindu blood is spilling, these invaders must be burned,” and also contained “Hindu supremacist” language and disinformation about political leaders.

Mainly targetting opposition parties and promoting the ruling BJP, the report said that an advertisement calling for the execution of an opposition leader was also approved. The ad falsely claimed that the concerned leader wanted to “erase Hindus from India” while keeping him next to Pakistan’s national flag.

“All of the advertisements were created based upon real hate speech and disinformation prevalent in India, underscoring the capacity of social media platforms to amplify existing harmful narratives,” the report said.

Citing the report, The Guardian further said that these advertisements “were submitted midway through voting which began in April and would continue in phases until June 1”.

The BJP has been accused of demonising Muslims and stoking fears of attacks on Hindus for electoral gains to return to power for the third term.

PM Modi, during the rally in Rajasthan, referred to Muslims as ‘infiltrators’ and “those who produce more children.” However, he later denied the claims and said that he had many “Muslim friends.”