‘AI deepfakes and SA’s fight to protect the 2024 election’ 30 January 2024

The growth of misinformation tools, including AI-generated deepfakes, is forcing the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), the Information Regulator and other organisations to cooperate with one another to assure the integrity of the upcoming election, regarded by many as the most important poll since 1994. Deepfakes, produced using generative AI, continue to proliferate on the internet, enhancing the ability to engineer inauthentic content using the images and voices of prominent individuals who have sway with the public.

The worry is these tools, and other forms of misinformation, could be used to manipulate people’s voting intentions, potentially affecting the outcome of the election. The Information Regulator and the IEC have formed a partnership to curb the spread of misinformation and disinformation in the run-up to the election. The agreement between the parties draws on engagements with other stakeholders, including Meta Platforms (parent of Facebook) and China’s TikTok, as well the media watchdog Media Monitoring Africa.

…One of the pre-emptive initiatives the Information Regulator believes is important in the fight against misinformation is educating the public about the dangers of online content and ensuring the availability of accurate and reliable information through various channels including social media. IEC chief electoral officer Sy Mamabolo said: “Social media provides an avenue for information sharing and public education, but it also holds the possibility for negative use, which could harm the integrity of the electoral process.” The IEC already signed a “framework of cooperation” agreement with Facebook, TikTok and Google in July 2023, under which it has set up an independent three-member committee to evaluate any reported cases of misinformation on social media platforms.