Deepfakes and democratic vulnerabilities: Safeguarding electoral integrity in India

This chapter examines the challenges posed by deepfakes and synthetic media to electoral integrity in India, situating them within a broader crisis of informational trust and democratic legitimacy. It analyses the fragmented regulatory framework, centred on the Information Technology Act 2000 and IT Rules 2021, supplemented by the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023, the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, and the Election Commission of India’s powers. It argues that these regimes remain reactive, procedurally inconsistent, and structurally unprepared for the evolving nature of AI-generated harms. The discussion maps how existing cybercrime provisions, intermediary liability rules, content standards, due diligence obligations, and traceability requirements have been applied to deepfakes, while identifying gaps in coverage, enforcement, and procedural safeguards. The chapter emphasises that deepfakes cannot be effectively addressed as isolated content-level infractions; rather, they represent systemic threats to constitutional democracy that demand targeted legislative reform, clearer platform obligations, enhanced electoral safeguards, and measures to build societal resilience against manipulation.