VD Satheesan-KSEB AI Dance Video Blocked In India By Meta After 1.78 Crore Views

Meta has restricted access in India to an AI-generated video of Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheesan dancing with Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) officials, the creators of the video said on Monday.

The video was published on the Instagram page ‘aikavala’ on Thursday in connection with the recent power cut issue in Kerala. By Sunday, it had received 1.78 crore views, according to the operator of the page. The ‘aikavala’ page said the restriction came after Meta complied with a legal request.

The page shared a message from Meta on Sunday informing them that access to the content had been restricted in India pursuant to a notice from the Government of India.

Satheesan had recently referred to the AI-generated clip at an event organised by the Kerala High Court, PTI reported. Speaking at the event, he said he was excited to see the video and claimed that he could dance better than Malayalam actor Mohanlal and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay.

The page said the video was created using artificial intelligence and shows Satheesan dancing with KSEB officials.

Abhijith, who runs the Instagram page, said he did not believe the restriction was the result of a request from the Chief Minister’s side.

“We don't know the reason. But the Chief Minister had appreciated it in a public forum. The video can be viewed from other countries,” he told the media.

The restriction comes against the backdrop of an earlier dispute involving Meta and videos critical of the state government and Satheesan.

Meta had previously removed news videos that were critical of the state government and the Chief Minister. Satheesan later denied that his office had sought the removal of those posts.

The Chief Minister’s Office subsequently wrote to Meta seeking the reinstatement of the removed videos, PTI reported. Meta later cited technical reasons for their removal.