In today’s interconnected world, elections face an unprecedented threat, but narrative intelligence can help restore faith in the process.
They [elections] are vulnerable to a spectrum of technological threats that range from traditional cybersecurity concerns, such as hacking and data breaches, to more sophisticated forms of manipulation, such as deepfakes and AI-generated disinformation.
https://www.weforum.org/stories/2023/11/elections-cybersecurity-ai-deep-fakes-social-engineering/
In the recent round of elections in Slovakia, voters were not left unscathed by disinformation campaigns orchestrated by adversarial party actors who leveraged both genuine and inauthentic accounts to exploit societal tensions in a tight race. These actors posted AI-manipulated audio clips containing toxic narratives, such as alleged discussions by leading party and media figures about rigging the outcomes. Although these clips were debunked by fact checkers soon after being posted, the damage was already done, highlighting the vulnerability of democracies to destabilization efforts by threat actors seeking to influence outcomes.
The above example was especially critical, as several elections followed soon after in other countries and overseas and the quick international exposure invited further attacks due to its perceived "success". Those responsible for the digital safety of elections questioned whether the safeguards put in place by governing bodies and the social channels themselves were sufficient to protect their democracy and the public, illustrating the need for a more proactive approach to stopping the spread of disinformation in election campaigns.
The dynamics of disinformation are truly multifaceted. Adversarial networks employ sophisticated strategies to avoid detection, including the use of bot-like accounts, fringe platforms, and hard to detect AI manipulations. This is exemplified by narrative content that can mistakenly be identified as truth due to specificity or relevancy to election issues and tensions, that even fact checkers may have a hard time proving as fake.
Adversarial actors exploit gaps in content moderation and target vulnerable groups with misleading information. In the Slovakian example, another audio clip was captured that sounded like the liberal party leader Michal Šimečka threatening to raise the price of beer, which could hit hard in a country known for its love of beer and strong beer production. The fake posts went out during a 48-hour moratorium for media outlets and politicians ahead of the polls opening, making it hard to prove they were fake with enough time to avoid damaging consequences. This approach not only amplifies existing societal divides but also makes it harder for governments and civil society to respond effectively.
To combat the risks posed by disinformation, stakeholders—from political candidates to electoral bodies, to fact checking bodies responsible for electoral integrity—must adopt proactive reputation management strategies. Here’s why this is critical:
Disinformation poses a significant challenge to elections, but it is not insurmountable. Addressing the threat of disinformation requires advanced tools capable of dissecting these complex influence campaigns. Platforms like Vinesight have demonstrated the importance of proactive measures. Using real-time monitoring, users can identify toxic online attacks and analyze their origins, scope, and impact. By employing dashboards to measure the effectiveness of counterstrategies, election monitors, civil society, and fact-checkers can work together to address the threat. These coordinated efforts are essential for countering adversarial narratives before they gain traction. A proactive approach to reputation management reinforces the resilience of democratic institutions and public trust in the electoral process. By staying vigilant and prepared, we can uphold the principles of transparency, trust, and fairness that are the foundation of democracy.
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