(This article is part of Today’s Cache, The Hindu’s newsletter on emerging themes at the intersection of technology, innovation and policy. To get it in your inbox, subscribe here.)
X removes political posts following Election Commission directive
Social media platform X (formerly Twitter) has revealed a letter from the Election Commission of India (EC) instructing the removal of four posts by political leaders from the YSR Congress Party, the Telugu Desam Party, the Aam Aadmi Party, and the Bharatiya Janata Party. Despite complying with the order in India, X expressed disagreement, asserting that “freedom of expression should extend to these posts and political speech in general.” Interestingly, these tweets remain accessible from non-Indian Internet connections. This disclosure marks X’s first public revelation of an Indian takedown notice since April 2023 when it ceased publishing summaries of such orders on the Lumen Database website. The EC’s orders, focused on prohibiting campaigners from targeting their rivals’ personal lives during political activities, have been reported selectively through X’s Global Affairs team, diverging from previous comprehensive disclosures.
Meta board reviews AI nudity cases
Meta’s oversight board is seeking input as it investigates two cases involving AI-generated nude images of women posted on Instagram and Facebook. One instance involved an undressed Indian public figure’s image on Instagram, shared on an account featuring other AI-generated Indian women. The board highlighted the growing concern of deepfakes in India. The second case on Facebook depicted an AI-generated image of a nude woman being groped, resembling an “American public figure” named in the caption. While the latter image was promptly removed due to prior flagging, the oversight board described a chaotic reporting process that led to the delayed removal of the first image from Instagram.
Meta AI chatbot now available to some WhatsApp users
Meta has begun testing its new artificial intelligence-driven chatbot, Meta AI, on WhatsApp. This new chatbot, positioned as a competitor to ChatGPT, boasts a range of capabilities, including answering questions, generating text and images, translating languages, and more. The rollout of Meta AI has commenced for a limited number of users in India and other regions, with a broader release anticipated soon. Several users in India have already confirmed the arrival of this feature on X. To determine if you have access to this feature, ensure your WhatsApp app is up to date. The new generative AI features, powered by Llama, introduce a AI interface within the WhatsApp messenger.
