Thoughtful regulation means little if it is not accompanied by meaningful consideration of how that regulation will be enforced. A lack of realism about enforcement threatens to undercut the authority of the regulatory bodies creating provisions and establishes unrealistic precedents for what will be achievable through regulation alone.
Measures to restrict content or behaviors related to the use of social media or other digital technologies strive to bring campaign regulations up to date with the current information environment. In the absence of rules of the road, social media and digital technologies can be used in campaigns in blatantly deceptive and destructive ways with impunity. While not explicitly prohibited, some uses of social media and other digital technologies may contradict principles governing campaigning enshrined elsewhere in the electoral law.
Ethiopia Check debunks claims and exposes fake news using its platforms on Facebook (52,000 followers), Twitter (7,000 followers) and Telegram (34,000 followers). Ethiopia Check also provides online tools for the public to check the authenticity of images circulating on social media and distributes an email newsletter to newsrooms across the country.
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Over the last few years, DRG practitioners have implemented a wide range of programmatic approaches to reduce both the impact and use of disinformation and related tactics during elections. Most DRG programmatic approaches look at the overarching information ecosystem, which has incidental impacts for political party behavior and the impact of disinformation as a campaign tactic. However, the last few years have seen an increasing number of interventions targeted specifically at political parties.
Political parties are organized groups of individuals with similar political ideas or interests who try to make policy by getting candidates elected to office.1 This electoral function – advancing candidates for office and securing votes for those candidates – distinguishes political parties from other organizations, including civil society organizat
The online media environment continues to evolve, and regulations that are crafted today to address specific elements of that environment may quickly become out of date. Regulators must consider the full range of internet-enabled communication tools to determine how broadly or narrowly to craft their guidance.
Written by Lisa Reppell, Global Social Media and Disinformation Specialist at the International Foundation for Electoral Systems Center for Applied Research and Learning
TrollBusters is an at-the-ready network of supporters to respond to women journalists’ reports of online harassment by providing positive counterspeech. Their services include monitoring the targets’ social media accounts for continued attacks, sending continued counter-messaging, and conducting training on digital security and response measures.
263Chat was launched on September 29 2012 as a way of encouraging and participating in progressive and national dialogue in Zimbabwe. The use of the internet and the numerous social media tools available play an integral role in this entire process.
Zimbabweans are already engaged in numerous conversations about their daily lives in Zimbabwe and beyond. 263Chat aims, in part, to amplify their voices.