Misinformation, deepfakes and elections
AI makes fake photos, voices and videos cheap and convincing. A few verification habits help protect you, your family and your vote.
In 60 seconds
Misinformation, deepfakes and elections
AI makes fake photos, voices and videos cheap and convincing. A few verification habits help protect you, your family and your vote.
What AI makes easier
| Type | What it is | Example of misuse |
|---|---|---|
| Deepfake video | A video changed or created so a person appears to say or do something | A leader seeming to announce something they never said |
| Voice clone | A fake voice that sounds like a real person | A call in a politician's voice asking people not to vote |
| Fake images | Realistic pictures of events that never happened | A fake photo of a crowd, a clash or a disaster |
| Mass fake text | Many posts or comments written by AI | Fake accounts making a claim look popular |
Verification habits
- 1
Pause
Strong emotions such as anger, fear or excitement are a signal to slow down. - 2
Check the source
Who posted it first? Is it an official account or a trusted news outlet? - 3
Search for confirmation
Do several reliable news sources report the same thing? - 4
Check images
Use a reverse image search, such as Google Lens, to see where a picture appeared before. - 5
Ask fact-checkers
See whether professional fact-checking organisations have already checked it. - 6
Share carefully
If unsure, do not forward. Add context if you share a correction.
Signs something may be fake
- Mouth movements that do not match the words, odd blinking or strange lighting.
- Unusual hands, text or backgrounds in images.
- A voice that sounds flat, or has odd pauses and pronunciation.
- No original source, or a source you have never heard of.
- A “breaking” claim that no trusted news outlet is reporting.
Elections
- Forwarding a shocking clip to many groups immediately
- Trusting a message because a relative sent it
- Believing a voting date change from a WhatsApp forward
- Checking with trusted news and fact-checkers first
- Asking “where did this come from?” politely in the group
- Confirming election information only from official sources
Watch and read more
Lab
A tested verification checklist and one worked fact-check.
The problem
Build and use a verification routine.
- Write a six-step checklist for checking suspicious images, videos or voice notes.
- Find one real viral claim that has already been checked by a professional fact-checking organisation.
- Apply your checklist to it and write what each step showed.
- Compare your result with the fact-checker's conclusion.
- Write a short, polite message you could send in a family group to correct a false claim without embarrassing anyone.
You are done when
Hard questions
Try to answer before you reveal. If you can answer these, you understood the lesson.
Q1What is the “liar's dividend”, and why does it matter?Reveal
When people know deepfakes exist, someone caught on a real recording can falsely claim it is fake. This lets wrongdoers escape responsibility and makes all evidence feel uncertain. It means the harm of deepfakes is not only fake content being believed, but also real content being disbelieved. Strong verification habits and trusted sources help with both problems.
Q2Why can a false claim spread faster than its correction?Reveal
False claims are often surprising and emotional, which makes people share them quickly. Corrections come later, are less exciting and may not reach everyone who saw the original. People may also remember the claim but forget the correction. That is why stopping false content before sharing matters so much.
Questions people ask
Can AI detection tools reliably spot deepfakes?
They can help but are not fully reliable. They can miss fakes and wrongly flag real content. Checking the source, context and confirmation from trusted outlets remains essential.
Are all edited or AI-made videos harmful?
No. Satire, films, education and art often use editing and AI openly. The problem is content made to deceive people about real events or real people.
What should I do if I see a deepfake of someone I know?
Do not share it. Report it to the platform, tell the person if appropriate, and in serious cases, such as threats or sexual content, report it to the police or at cybercrime.gov.in in India.
How do I know a fact-checker is trustworthy?
Look for organisations that explain their methods, show their sources, correct their mistakes and disclose funding. Many follow codes such as the International Fact-Checking Network's principles.
Lesson test
5 questions. Get 3 right (60%) to pass and complete this lesson.