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Verified By BOOM 82

AI Voice Clones Used To Spread Disinformation In 2023 MP Polls

January 19, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes

Browser View | January 20, 2023 | Subscribe

Hello,

Artificial Intelligence (AI) voice cloning technology was used to spread disinformation in the run-up to the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections last year, our investigation has found. Read on!

Event: North East Facts Network

Join us on Wednesday, 31 January at 6:30 pm IST as our expert panel, featuring researchers and journalists, will share their insights on 'A Field Guide To Research in North-East India.’

Claim Of Ayodhya Ram Temple Built Away From The Babri Masjid Spot Is False

🔖 Several social media users claimed that the new Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya is being built 3 km away from the location of the Babri Masjid.

But, is it true? No. Here’s how we found out:

BOOM spoke to reporters who had recently visited the temple complex being constructed. They confirmed to us that the temple is being built directly above the ruins.
A local resident Nand Kumar, who heads the Ayodhya Vyapar Mandal, also rubbished the claim and told us that the position of the idol, which was earlier placed in the ruins of the Babri Masjid, has been preserved in the new temple.
That’s not all! A historical view of the satellite imagery of the location (as seen on Google Maps & Google Earth Pro) where the new Ram Janmabhoomi Temple is being constructed closely matches the site of the Babri Masjid, as seen in videos of its demolition.

AI Voice Clones Used To Spread Disinformation In Madhya Pradesh 2023 Polls

🔖 Decode’s Karen Rebelo reached out to two experts separately to analyse four videos, which were viral in the run-up to the 2023 assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh and which we strongly suspected to have been made with AI voice cloning technology.

The experts independently confirmed that the four videos contained AI generated audio. Read the full analysis.

All India Pregnant Job Service: A Scam Thriving On Facebook

🔖 “Do you want to work in Pregnancy Job Service?” The person at the other end of the call asked Decode’s Umesh Kumar Ray. The phone number was listed on a Facebook page called All India Pregnant Job Service.

Even as the Bihar police have nabbed eight people for this new scam of trapping men, several Facebook pages on ‘pregnancy jobs’ still exist.

Muslims Top Target Of Mis/Disinformation For Third Year In A Row: BOOM Report 2023

🔖 BOOM's analysis of all the 1,190 debunked fact-checks in 2023 revealed that Muslims as a community continued to be the primary target of mis/disinformation, mirroring the trend from the previous year. The community has consistently emerged as the primary target of fake news since 2021, per our analysis of the reports from the past two years.

Another consistent target included Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Read the detailed analysis by Nidhi Jacob.

🚫 Fake News You Almost Fell For

🔍 A set of photos purporting to show 500 rupees notes with images of Lord Ram and Ram Mandir in Ayodhya are morphed and were shared online with misleading claims. Read 🔗Anmol Alphonso’s↗️ fact-check.

🔍 Former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar took to X to call out a deepfake video that went viral on social media purporting to show him endorsing a gaming app called 'Skyward Aviator Quest' which is available on the Apple App Store. Read the full fact-check 🔗here.↗️

🔍 Did state-run news outlet Global Times post that Chinese president Xi Jinping thanked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for starting his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra from Manipur instead of Arunachal Pradesh? Find out in 🔗Anmol Alphonso’s↗️ fact-check.

🅱️ Recommends

📖 This week's recommendation is: What is gender-based online disinformation—and what can we do about it?

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