In a major setback to its digital campaign, the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Gujarat unit has had its official Facebook and Instagram accounts blocked by Meta for repeated copyright violations.
The action comes just one day before voting in the crucial Gujarat local body elections scheduled for April 26, 2026, with results expected on April 28.
According to reports, AAP Gujarat's campaign posts used unauthorised clips and visuals from popular Gujarati films such as Saheb and Chhello Divas. Scenes featuring actors like Malhar Thakar, Yash Soni, and Prapti Ajwalia were reportedly edited or dubbed in misleading ways to promote the party's message without obtaining necessary permissions from the filmmakers or artists.
Screenshot of AAP Gujarat's Instagram accountProminent Gujarati actor Hiten Kumar strongly criticised the misuse in a video posted on Instagram. He said, "We have been working in Gujarati cinema for decades and creating films with great effort. However, it has recently been seen that some political groups and others are misusing film scenes by editing or dubbing them for their own purposes. This is completely wrong. We request the Gujarat Police Crime Department to take strict action so that such misuse is stopped and people are not misled."
Another actor Malhar Thakar also raised the issue, and urged the AAP to not use movie clips for election campaign without permission. He said, "I request them, please do not do this."
The suspensions were triggered by Meta's enforcement of its copyright policies after multiple violations were flagged. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram have increasingly cracked down on unauthorised use of creative content, treating political campaigns no differently from other users.
However, AAP attempted to blame the BJP for the crackdown, suggesting in its messaging that the suspensions were politically motivated due to the party's growing popularity. The party posted on X, "BJP rattled by AAP's popularity," and posted screenshots of massive views of the Facebook and Instagram accounts of AAP Gujarat.
"Our Facebook and Instagram pages had 8 crore reach in 28 days. When people are suffering and the voice of the people is being heard on Aam Aadmi Party's Facebook and Instagram social media accounts, then such a big response and so many views, the BJP got so scared that they had these accounts suspended," AAP's Gujarat president Isudan Gadhvi said in a video statement.
Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal reposted Gadhvi's statement, saying, "Aam Aadmi Party's social media FB and Insta pages have been blocked in Gujarat. Why exactly? Why is BJP so scared?"
However, the fact is that the accounts were suspended by Meta solely for copyright violations, and the BJP had no role in this.
Notably, platforms like YouTube and Facebook enforce the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) by operating under a "safe harbor" provision that shields them from liability for user-uploaded content, provided they promptly remove or disable access to infringing material once notified or detected.
To handle billions of uploads efficiently, Facebook and Instagram (Meta) deploy Rights Manager, an automated system where copyright owners register their films, songs, or clips. Meta then creates digital fingerprints of the content using AI-powered perceptual hashing that scans every video, Reel, or post in real time before it becomes public. When a match is found, the platform automatically blocks, mutes, or removes the violating material without human review in most cases.
Similar technology powers YouTube's Content ID, which fingerprints audio and video tracks and instantly applies actions such as blocking, monetising for the rights holder, or tracking usage. These proactive detection tools allow platforms to stay DMCA-compliant. This explains why AAP Gujarat's official accounts were suspended for repeatedly using unauthorised clips from Gujarati films.