Social media misinformation is on the rise ahead of elections in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, and India. Experts state that tech platforms are ill-prepared to address the increasing challenge of misinformation and hate speech. There are concerns about the use of generative AI tools to create convincing deepfakes that could potentially mislead voters. However, social media platforms, such as Google, Facebook, and Meta, have announced measures to address and limit the spread of misinformation and AI-generated content. Nevertheless, experts believe that local nuances and language intricacies can limit the effectiveness of these tools. Violent consequences in previous elections due to misinformation have been observed in countries like Indonesia and Pakistan. Hate speech and misinformation were rampant on social media ahead of the 2018 general election in Pakistan, which was marked by violent bombings. Other experts believe that big tech companies have not adequately engaged with civil society ahead of elections and have not provided enough information in local languages. Some governments have introduced restrictive laws on online speech, which could lead social media platforms to over-enforce content moderation. Additionally, a lack of resources and focus due to global events could also impact the readiness of the platforms to handle the challenges that arise in elections.
Will social media platforms be prepared for the record-breaking elections in 2024?
