The letter calls for urgent steps by EC to hold “uphold the integrity” of the electoral process and hold political parties, candidates and digital platforms accountable to voters.
New Delhi: Eleven civil society organisations have written to the Election Commission, urging it to “uphold the integrity” of the electoral process and hold political parties, candidates and digital platforms accountable to crores of voters in India. The letter comes amid a high-pitched general election campaign in the backdrop of rising instances of fake news, deepfakes and surrogate advertising using technology to affect outcomes.
The letter, written on April 9, has been signed by the Association of Democratic Reforms, Internet Freedom Foundation, Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan, Article 21 Trust, Common Cause, National Alliance of People’s Movement, among others.
The civil society groups highlight four major concerns in the letter to the EC related to the use or misuse of technology and urges it to take appropriate measures to ensure that voter perception is not influenced by misinformation.
The concerns flagged by the 11 civil society groups are the need for standards on the expenditure on surrogate advertising and targeted online campaigns; a check on the use of generative AI (artificial intelligence) technology by political actors; the need for a transparent and participatory process spearheaded by a third-party, independent organisation(s) to monitor Model Code of Conduct violations by political candidates and digital platforms; and a “careful reevaluation” of the implementation of surveillance technologies in the electoral process.
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