Political ads on digital platforms require prior certification: Collector

All political parties, candidates and individuals intending to publish political advertisements on electronic and social media platforms must obtain prior certification from the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC), Collector P. Akash has said.

According to an official release, recognised parties and candidates must apply for certification at least three days before the proposed broadcast. Applications will be examined and processed within 48 hours. Unrecognised parties and other applicants are also required to apply within the stipulated time frame.

In case of rejection, appeals can be made to the State-level appellate committee and, subsequently, to the Election Commission. The MCMC has been constituted to scrutinise political advertisements and prevent misuse of media platforms including paid news.

Highlighting concerns over AI-generated content, the Election Commission has mandated clear disclosure labels such as ‘AI-generated’, ‘digitally modified’ or ‘synthetic content’. The labels must occupy at least 10% of the visual frame or audio duration.

Content that misrepresents identity, voice or appearance, or is intended to mislead voters, is prohibited.

The Collector said misleading or unlawful content on social media platforms would be removed within three hours of detection or complaint.