Section of BJP leaders trying to dislodge BSY: Siddaramaiah

India is currently polling in the Lok Sabha elections, and AI-generated videos that spread disinformation have emerged as a major threat. As per a report, Meta approved several political advertisements manipulated by Artificial Intelligence that spread disinformation during Lok Sabha elections 2024.

Facebook reportedly approved ads that contained slurs towards Muslims in India like “let’s burn this vermin” and “Hindu blood is spilling, these invaders must be burned” along with disinformation about political leaders and other messages with Hindu supremacist language.

Another advert approved by the owner of Facebook and Instagram called for an opposition leader's execution who as per a false claim sought to “erase Hindus from India”. This ad contained the image of a Pakistan flag alongside the message.

The report comes at a time when the social media platform X had to recently take down an animated video shared by the Karnataka unit of the BJP after an Election Commission direction.

India Civil Watch International (ICWI) and Ekō, a corporate accountability organisation created and submitted these adverts to Meta's ad library to test the company's mechanism to detect and block harmful political content.

All adverts “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 mentioned.

The researchers submitted 22 adverts to Meta in English, Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, and Kannada, of which 14 were approved. Another three were approved with small tweaks. However, once approved, the researchers immediately removed the ads before their publication.

The research concluded that Meta failed to detect the presence of AI-manipulated images in all of the approved ads.

While five of the adverts, including one with some allegations against PM Modi were rejected on charge of breaking Meta's policy on hate speech, the report noted that the 14 others approved targetted Muslims and “broke Meta’s own policies on hate speech, bullying and harassment, misinformation, and violence and incitement."

“Supremacists, racists and autocrats know they can use hyper-targeted ads to spread vile hate speech, share images of mosques burning and push violent conspiracy theories – and Meta will gladly take their money, no questions asked,” the Guardian quoted Maen Hammad, a campaigner at Ekō as saying.

In response, Meta clarified that they require advertisers to disclose their use of AI.

“When we find content, including ads, that violates our community standards or community guidelines, we remove it, regardless of its creation mechanism. AI-generated content is also eligible to be reviewed and rated by our network of independent factcheckers – once a content is labeled as ‘altered’ we reduce the content’s distribution. We also require advertisers globally to disclose when they use AI or digital methods to create or alter a political or social issue ad in certain cases," the company said in response.

Meanwhile, Meta has been accused in the past of failing to curb Islamophobia on its platforms.

“This election has shown once more that Meta doesn’t have a plan to address the landslide of hate speech and disinformation on its platform during these critical elections,” Hammad said questioning how one can trust Meta if it fails to detect even a handful of AI-generated images.

Mangaluru, May 20: In a heart-wrenching turn of events, a young man ended his life by stepping in front of a speeding train at Kolakadi railway gate near Mulky, following the tragic suicide of his beloved girlfriend. This sorrowful incident unfolded on Sunday casting a pall of grief over their families and the community.

The Victims of Love

The deceased, Kartik Poojary, a 20-year-old mechanic, had returned to his home in Molottu on Saturday after working in Chitradurga. Kartik lived with his mother and grandmother in Molottu, and had recently started working at a relative’s garage.

Kartik’s heart belonged to his collage mate Sharanya, 19, daughter of Harish Kotyan. Their love, blooming in their teenage years, faced the stern disapproval of their parents due to their young age. Although their parents had reluctantly agreed to their union through a legal bond to marry once they reached the appropriate age, fate took a cruel turn.

The Cruel Twist of Fate

In a sudden decision, Sharanya's parents withdrew her from college and sent her away to Moodbidri. Overwhelmed by despair and separation, Sharanya ended her life by hanging herself at home while her family was away on Friday. Her death was a blow too harsh for Kartik to bear.

A Grief Too Heavy to Bear

Kartik, shattered by the news of Sharanya’s death, hurried back to his home in Molottu on Saturday. The following morning, with his mother away in Kerala on urgent business, Kartik's grief culminated in his tragic decision. He walked to the railway tracks at Kolakadi and succumbed to his sorrow under the wheels of a passing train.

The Aftermath

The Mulky police, led by Inspector Vidyadhar, arrived at the scene and registered a case. The community is left mourning the untimely deaths of two young lives intertwined by love and separated by an unkind twist of fate.

Mangaluru: With the surge in cybercrimes in Dakshina Kannada, the police department is set to create more awareness on social media through informative short videos. These videos aim to educate the public about various cyber fraud tactics and how to avoid falling victim to them.

Awareness Campaign

Superintended of Police CB Ryshyanth announced on Monday in Dharmasthala, “We will release the videos within 10 days. These videos will be shared on social media to raise awareness about the methods fraudsters use to deceive people.”

Common Cybercrimes

The SP highlighted several prevalent cyber scams:

Part-Time Job Scams: Fraudsters lure victims with fake job offers, often asking them to write reviews.

Share Trading Scams: Malicious links promise high returns in share trading. Initially, fraudsters pay a small amount to gain the victims’ trust. However, the app showing "high returns" is a trap, and victims realize they have been duped when no actual returns are received.

Phishing Scams: Fake 'payment gateway' pages are created to trick victims into sharing their personal details, which are then used to siphon money from their accounts.

Online Market Scams: Fraudsters offer products like iPhones at significantly lower prices, only to scam the buyers.

Precautionary Measures

SP Ryshyanth urged people to be cautious and not to attend video calls from unknown persons. He also addressed the importance of CCTV cameras in commercial establishments under the Public Safety Act. “If they fail to comply, a DSP rank officer can issue a notice and impose a fine,” he explained.

The police department’s initiative aims to make the public more vigilant and knowledgeable about cybercrimes. By understanding these fraud methods, people can better protect themselves from becoming victims. Stay informed, stay safe.