NEW DELHI: Delhi Police on Friday alleged that a coordinated misinformation campaign involving AI-generated content, deepfakes and fake social media posts was being used to spread false information about the ongoing CJP protest. It said more than 400 Pakistan-linked social media handles had been identified and blocked.
Addressing a press briefing, police said several attempts had been made to spread misleading and false information related to the protest on social media. The force appealed to the public to verify the authenticity of posts, videos and photographs before believing or sharing them.
Police said the protest has been continuing for the past several weeks, during which a large number of posts and videos were shared on social media platforms, particularly Instagram. Several of these were found to be false, edited or intended to mislead people, posing a potential threat to law and order.
The police also referred to a social media post by a political leader claiming that the Centre was preparing to launch a major crackdown on protesters at Jantar Mantar. Delhi Police termed the claim misleading and said no such action had been proposed.
According to the police, the investigation found that several Pakistan-based social media accounts were involved in spreading fake and misleading content related to the protest. More than 400 such handles have been identified and blocked. These accounts allegedly circulated AI-generated videos, deepfakes, edited photographs and other misleading content.
Police said some of these accounts had also been active in spreading fake news during Operation Sindoor.
The police also announced the formation of a Special Task Force (STF) within the Crime Branch to investigate paper leak cases and irregularities in competitive examinations. The STF will function under the supervision of a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP)-rank officer, and orders for its formation have already been issued.