UP Govt On Toes To Deter Deepfakes, Misleading Social Media Posts Ahead Of Ayodhya Ceremony

In the run-up to the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the Uttar Pradesh government is pulling out all stops against deepfake media and rooting out all misinformation from social media, blogs and microsites.

This comes days after minister of state for electronics and information technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar said that the Centre will soon notify amendments to the IT Rules to crackdown on deepfakes.

Authorities have reported to the policy teams of Meta and X about the misleading content, including deepfakes and digitally altered media, to deter misinformation about the Ram Mandir ceremony in Ayodhya.

Content like “things to do on ceremony day” or “how to enter mandir” might cause disturbance during the “Pran Pratishtha” on January 22, ET reported, citing a source familiar with the matter.

“The government is actively undertaking AI-enabled sentiment analysis of social media activity and has found that nearly 30-40% of posts related to the event are spreading hate speech through foreign actors,” the report said.

Cybercrime experts have observed a rise in QR code scams falsely soliciting donations for the Ram Mandir. Prashant Mali, a cybercrime lawyer, mentioned to ET that fraudulent QR codes claiming to be associated with the Ram Mandir are circulating through SMS and WhatsApp.

AI-generated images and videos of Lord Rama are also under the government’s scanner to avoid any communal disturbance during the mega event.

Ayodhya is experiencing a construction boom and a shift towards digital transactions. Infrastructure projects and renovations are transforming the city, with boatmen, vendors, and shopkeepers embracing digital payments. It is already witnessing a footfall of nearly 12,000 devotees visiting for darshan and the count is expected to touch 30,000 per day after the inauguration on 22 January.

The UP Police Special Task Force and the UP-Intelligence unit are employing AI to monitor both on-ground security and online activities to prevent the spread of hate speech or incitement of communal harm during the mega event.

The state government has also collaborated with Gurgaon-based AI startup Staqu Technologies, which installed 400 AI-enabled cameras in and around the temple premises. These cameras are designed to detect faces of criminals, fake number plates of vehicles, and even drones that can identify landmines and explosives.

In addition, Paytm has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Ayodhya Nagar Nigam to facilitate mobile payments using Paytm’s QR code. Allied Digital Services Limited (ADSL) has been selected for the Ayodhya Smart City Surveillance project.

Deepfakes came into the news last year after one video featuring actor Rashmika Mandanna went viral online, prompting outcry from netizens. Responding to the deepfake menace, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued a new set of advisory for all social media platforms to curb such videos and misinformation enabled by them.

Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar became the latest victim of this technology, as a manipulated video featuring him surfaced online.

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