The letter, addressed to CEC Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioners urged action ahead of Lok Sabha polls to ensure free and fair elections.
Published Apr 09, 2024 | 6:01 PM ⚊ Updated Apr 09, 2024 | 6:01 PM
Election Commission of India (ECI) (Wikimedia Commons)
As India gears up for the forthcoming general elections to the Lok Sabha, slated to commence on April 19, 2024, civil society organizations have collectively penned a missive to the Election Commission of India (ECI), highlighting significant concerns regarding the integrity of the electoral process.
The letter, addressed to Rajiv Kumar, Chief Election Commissioner, and Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, highlighted pressing issues surrounding the role of technology in shaping electoral outcomes.
Among the key concerns raised is the unchecked proliferation of online campaigning and surrogate advertisements.
Political entities are increasingly leveraging digital platforms to disseminate targeted content, often without adequate scrutiny or accountability mechanisms in place. This practice not only skews voter perception but also raises questions about fairness and transparency in the electoral arena, the letter read.
The emergence of sophisticated technologies such as deepfakes poses a new challenge to the electoral process, it further said.
The use of generative AI technology (particularly deepfakes) by political actors with the intent to manipulate voter sentiment and impact electoral outcomes underscored the urgent need for regulatory measures to curb misinformation and safeguard the integrity of elections, the letter said.
It also emphasised the inadequacies of the Voluntary Code of Ethics adopted by digital platforms, which lacks legal enforceability and transparency.
The organisations advocated for the formulation of a Model Code of Conduct, with stringent enforcement mechanisms, to govern the conduct of political actors and digital platforms during election cycles.
Additionally, concerns regarding the use of facial recognition and video surveillance technologies at polling booths, have been raised, citing infringements on privacy and voter intimidation.
The organisations urged the Election Commission to reevaluate the deployment of such surveillance technologies in electoral processes, ensuring adherence to strict standards of legality and proportionality.
Highlighting the pivotal role of digital platforms in shaping electoral narratives, the letter stressed upon the need for greater accountability and transparency in political advertising and campaigning.
The letter further pointed out the significant role played by these platforms in shaping public opinion and fostering divisive narratives, posing a threat to the country’s democratic fabric.
This hate speech has a direct throughline with representatives of the ruling party and various influencer ecosystems funded by them, the letter said, pointing out that monetisation of hateful content portrayed a worrying trend for India’s democracy.
The letter cited a recently released report by AltNews, which revealed alarming trends in online political advertising, shedding light on the widespread use of “proxy” advertisements by publishers/ pages, who support a particular party but do not have any official affiliation with the party.
According to the report, BJP emerged as the highest spender on political advertisements, with the expenditure on advertisements by BJP’s proxy pages surpassing that of their official advertisements, it pointed out.
These proxy ads were found to “target opposition parties, amplify contentious narratives, touch upon divisive issues, and exploit prejudices”.
These kinds of advertisements are part of a largely unregulated and non-transparent ecosystem called “surrogate advertising”, the letter said.
An analysis of Meta’s ads library by The Indian Express revealed that of the top 20 advertisers on Facebook and Instagram during March 17 to 23, 2024 (the first week of the MCC being applied), favoured the BJP, with over ₹3.7 crore spent on surrogate ads on Facebook alone in March 2024, the letter revealed.
These surrogate pages sponsored posts containing “hate speech, misinformation, and propaganda” to target BJP’s political rivals along with minority communities in India, it said.
Despite efforts by digital platforms to review and take action against violative content, the responsibility ultimately falls on advertisers to comply with electoral laws and regulations, it further said.
This has led to inadequacies in tracking and curbing the flourishing surrogate advertising ecosystem, as highlighted by previous analyses conducted by The Reporters’ Collective and ad.watch, the letter pointed out.
Despite instructions issued by the ECI in 2013 to include all campaign-related expenditures, tracking digital spending remains challenging, it said, adding that the absence of stringent monitoring mechanisms allows for the proliferation of surrogate advertising and the dissemination of hateful content.
Civil society advocates also emphasized the need for proactive intervention from the ECI to ensure fair and transparent electoral processes in the digital age.
The organisations in their letter also put forth certain suggestions to uphold and defend the integrity of the next general elections.
They appealed for a transition from a Voluntary Code of Ethics to a Model Code of Conduct for Social Media.
The organizations advocated for a transparent and participatory process led by independent entities to formulate a robust framework governing political candidates and digital platforms.
The letter stressed the importance of aligning standards with international best practices and ensuring accountability through public documentation of moderation actions taken by digital platforms.
Furthermore, it emphasized the need of political parties to disclose their digital activities, including expenditure and third-party contracts.
The organisations, in the letter, urged ECI to monitor online spending, define and regulate surrogate advertising, and enhance institutional capacity through inclusive consultations with experts and stakeholders.
Concluding the letter, they also called for engaging with news organisations, civil society, and other independent groups seeking to combat disinformation, hate news circulation, and improve fact-checking during the poll process.
Addressing concerns surrounding disinformation and voter surveillance, the organizations called for a prohibition on the use of deepfake technology by political actors and also urged EC to disallow the use of surveillance technologies, such as drones, CCTVs, and FRT at polling stations during the election period to avoid unauthorised profiling of individuals.
(Edited by Shauqueen Mizaj)