Fake News Destroys Democracy

As South Africa draws closer to the seventh democratic elections, Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) warns that the surge of misinformation and disinformation on social media poses a significant threat to democratic elections.

Addressing a webinar on Tuesday, hosted by the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) on the upcoming elections, MMA Communications Manager Nomshado Lubisi-Nkosinkulu highlighted the challenges posed by the “explosion of information,” which makes it increasingly difficult to discern reality from falsehood.

MMA, an organization promoting ethical and fair journalism to support human rights and democracy, stresses the urgency of this issue. “Democracy is under threat. South Africa is dealing with unprecedented threats, and political analysts are calling the upcoming election period one of the most crucial and potentially aggressive periods in our young democracy,” Lubisi-Nkosinkulu said.

She noted the dramatic increase in misinformation and disinformation on social media platforms and the public’s lack of strong digital and media literacy skills. This situation makes it more important than ever for traditional media to be credible and well-equipped to inform and educate.

As the country moves towards the elections, misinformation, disinformation, and other digital harms are not just likely but certain. They pose clear threats to democratic elections. Misinformation is misleading content, while disinformation is false, inaccurate, or misleading information designed to intentionally cause public harm or for profit.

Public harm includes disrupting or preventing an election, influencing the outcome or conduct of an election, or unduly influencing the election’s outcome.

Lubisi-Nkosinkulu explained that disinformation often contains a grain of truth, making the public angry, anxious, fearful, and uncertain. This undermines the ability to trust, which in turn undermines key democratic institutions.

To combat misinformation, Lubisi-Nkosinkulu emphasized the need for a multi-stakeholder partnership with the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). This partnership includes a framework of cooperation between MMA, IEC, social media platforms, and a disinformation working group with key civil society bodies.

“Using dedicated tools, including Real411, we will help combat, mitigate, and investigate disinformation and other online harms during the election period,” she said. Real411 provides a platform for the public to report digital harms, including disinformation, ensuring that online content is assessed and addressed in an independent, open, transparent, and accountable manner within the laws and constitutional rights. The app is available on Google Play and the App Store.

Real411, run in conjunction with the IEC, seeks to ensure that key stakeholders play by the same rules, there is a mechanism for the public to act against disinformation, and there is a central place for the public to report issues regardless of the platform.

Additionally, the public now has access to the Political Party Advert Repository (PAdRE), which aims to increase access to information during the elections in line with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights’ Guidelines On Access To Information And Elections In Africa. PAdRE supports free and fair elections by providing information on political party adverts and their spending.

Fortune Mgwili-Sibanda, TikTok Sub-Saharan Africa Director of Public Policy and Government Relations, noted that TikTok’s Community Guidelines are designed to help protect the integrity of the election. These guidelines define a common code of conduct and help maintain an environment where everyone feels safe and welcome.

“We deeply value that our users come from a huge breadth of nationalities and cultures, and our Community Guidelines take into account the cultural norms and local regulations of the countries in which we operate. We strive to uphold our Community Guidelines by removing accounts and content that violate them,” Mgwili-Sibanda said.

On May 17, TikTok updated its rules and standards, introduced a warning strike for first-time violators of the Community Guidelines, and a policy to make an account temporarily ineligible for recommendation if a creator repeatedly posts content that violates the guidelines. An account check feature, which lets creators audit their accounts and review their last 30 posts, was also introduced.

“These are standards that we expect creators involved in TikTok programmes to follow on and off-platform,” Mgwili-Sibanda added. – SAnews.gov.za