CEC: Fake news on social media threat in elections

On the eve of the National Voters' Day (January 25), Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar has reiterated the need to check the "anti-democratic chatter" and fake news on social media platforms endangering electoral processes, the menace of money power in elections and to address the challenge of the "missing voter". President Murmu is expected to present awards on the 13th National Voters' Day.

In an article by the CEC, issued by the Election Commission of India, attention has been drawn to how social media driven fake news can overwhelm election management.

"Retention and deepening of democratic spaces through credible electoral outcomes, worldwide, stands at a cusp. Sheer scale and speed with which social media can disseminate the facts and views/fake news has a propensity to overwhelm other aspects of the technology in election management. Unconstrained by underpinning of moral and legal spaces, which govern EC's role & framework, anti-democratic chatter uses technology as an effective tool of its trade", the CEC has written.


The CEC has also cautioned social media platforms that the responsibility to protect the free spaces, including free speech, is 'co-shared' and that they should 'proactively' use AI and technology to "at least red flag evident disinformation efforts". The realisation that deep fakes make the job of election management bodies much more difficult, needs to dawn and self-correction effected, he has reminded.