APA-Pretoria (South Africa) South Africa’s Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has signed a cooperation agreement with four social media firms to partner with them in safeguarding the integrity and credibility of the country’s 2024 national and provincial elections, IEC chairperson Mosotho Moepya said on Tuesday.
Moepya said the IEC would partner with Google, Meta, TikTok and non-profit organisation Media Monitoring Africa to curb disinformation ahead of next year’s polls.
He said the signing of the Framework of Cooperation was a crucial step towards safeguarding the integrity of information and preserving the fundamentals of South Africa’s electoral processes by working together to combat disinformation and other digital harms.
The official said disinformation posed a threat to the exercise of various rights and to the access of constitutional protections – including freedom of expression, access to credible information, and the freedom to make informed political choices.
The bourgeoning use of digital media in recent years has seen a corresponding surge in digital disinformation, particularly on social media platforms, he added.
And electoral processes have not been spared. Left unchecked, this phenomenon stood to undermine the conduct of credible elections, according to Moepya.
Disinformation is defined as false, inaccurate or misleading information designed to intentionally cause harm.
“The dissemination of disinformation has huge potential to undermine the fairness and credibility of elections. Credible information is the lifeblood of all democracies,” the chairperson said.
He added: “Trustworthy information is crucial in the process that enables citizens to choose their leaders.”
Although the IEC had worked with platforms in the past two general elections, this is the first time that a Framework of Cooperation has been penned to cement the partnership, the chairperson said.
NM/jn/APA