| [South Africa] IEC SA partners with social media giants to combat disinformation in 2024 elections |
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| Last updated 2023-07-26 |
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The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC SA) has once again partnered with social media giants Google, Meta and TikTok, and non-profit organisation Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) to curb disinformation ahead of South Africa’s 2024 National and Provincial Elections.
On 3 July 2023, in a crucial step towards safeguarding the integrity of information and preserving the fundamentals of its electoral processes, the parties signed a Framework of Cooperation to work together to combat disinformation and other digital harms. Although the Commission worked with platforms in the last two general elections, it is the first time that a Framework of Co-operation was signed.
The bourgeoning use of digital media in recent years has seen a corresponding surge in digital disinformation, particularly on social media platforms. Electoral processes have not been spared. Left unchecked, this phenomenon stands to undermine the conduct of credible elections.
Disinformation is defined as false, inaccurate or misleading information designed to intentionally cause harm. Within an election context this includes false information intended to unduly affect participation in and the outcome of elections.
Electoral Commission Chairperson Mosotho Moepya says the framework is important because disinformation poses a threat to the exercise of various rights and to the access of constitutional protections, including freedom of expression, access to credible information, and the freedom to make informed political choices.
“The dissemination of disinformation has huge potential to undermine the fairness and credibility of elections. Credible information is the lifeblood of all democracies. Trustworthy information is crucial in the process that enables citizens to choose their leaders,” says Moepya.
The social media platforms will bolster resources to prioritise referrals from the Commission during the election period. Actions taken by the platforms are in terms of their policies and may include the removal of the content, the publication of an advisory warning and/or the delisting of the post. The initiative will also include information to help educate voters about the dangers of disinformation and how to spot it.
The social media partners applauded the framework and reiterated their commitment to cooperate with the IEC in this initiative. The partners stressed that they have policies and mechanisms in place to counter disinformation, and would continue to use these as contribution to the collective effort to eradicate falsehoods.
“Google has always been committed to supporting democratic processes, including supporting elections integrity and ensuring trust among voters. We place a big focus on creating products and programs that enable people across the globe to engage with these activities through information that is accurate, protecting elections and campaigns from bad actors, as well as assisting campaigns in managing their digital presence,” says Abongile Mashile, Senior Manager: Government Affairs and Public Policy at Google Southern Africa.
“Protecting the integrity of the 2024 elections in South Africa is a key priority for our company. As our platforms continue to play an important role in civic discussions around the world, including here in South Africa, we know we have an important responsibility,” says Balkissa Idè Siddo, Public Policy Director for Africa at Meta.
“At TikTok, we take the responsibility to protect our community as well as the integrity of our platform – particularly around elections – with the utmost seriousness. We're proud to be a place that brings people together over creative and entertaining content, and we work hard to keep harmful misinformation and other violations of our policies off our platform,” says Fortune Mgwili-Sibanda, Public Policy and Government Relations Director at TikTok.
Electoral Commission of South Africa Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo pictured (third left) at the signing of the Framework of Cooperation with Abongile Mashile from Google, William Bird from Media Monitoring Africa, Duduetsang Makuse from Meta, and Fortune Mgwili-Sibanda and Adwoa Ankoma from TikTok
Electoral Commission of South Africa Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo pictured (centre) at the signing of the Framework of Cooperation with representatives from social media giants Google, Meta and TikTok, and Media Monitoring Africa
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