
Research shows change in disinformation tactics
Research shows a significant shift in election disinformation tactics. “Rather than merely targeting individual candidates, bad actors are now undermining the foundations of democracy itself ”, Ian Plunkett, advisor at communications consultancy Blue Owl Group and ex-leader of global policy communications at Twitter, now called X, write in a guest blog for LSE. He refers to research related to five elections: European Union, Taiwan, Indonesia, South Africa and Mexico.
“Our collective tolerance for lies in public discourse has corroded the very foundations of our democracies. We consume media properties that twist facts, reward certain Internet platforms that prioritise division over truth, and elect leaders who shamelessly manipulate reality to suit their agendas. By cheaply giving away that most precious and innate of our faculties — our attention — we’ve become architects of our own democratic decline.”
“Despite efforts by major social media platforms, significant vulnerabilities persist. In the EU, content moderation remains overwhelmingly English-centric, leaving millions of non-English speaking voters exposed to unchecked disinformation.”
“Even more concerning, 87% of Meta’s counter-misinformation funds are allocated to English language cases, despite English speakers accounting for just 9% of global Facebook users. This dynamic has been exacerbated by the fact that many services have made content moderation a culture war issue, particularly X.”
He writes that contrary to some predictions, AI’s role in election manipulation has been more nuanced and muted than expected:
“That said, its use is growing.”
He says that across the five elections analysed, civil society organisations emerged as vital defenders against disinformation.
“In Taiwan, fact-checking teams worked tirelessly to debunk falsehoods in real-time. The EU, particularly in the context of the recently implemented Digital Services Act (DSA), has seen strides forward, too, although with some legitimate concerns around freedom of expression and appropriate redlines.”
“However, these organisations often operate with limited resources”, Plunkett writes, adding that independent media is a vital check on disinformation.
“OECD data tells us that the global print advertising market has plummeted by nearly 40% between 2019 and 2024, which has devastated news outlets. Meanwhile only 0.19% — just $500m — of total Official Development Assistance was allocated to supporting media and information in 2022.”
“Shrinking revenue sources are exacerbated by the sharp decline in the number of democracies around the world, and the steady rise of illiberalism over the past decade. In 2023 alone, 42 countries experienced democratic backsliding or a rise in autocratic systems of government, affecting 2.8 billion people — 35% of the global population.”
“Our research supports this specific challenge. A trustworthy and dying media ecosystem permits disinformation to spread like a virus, far beyond our collective abilities to inoculate it. Democracy and independent media exist in symbiosis: as one fractures, so too does the other.”
Plunkett writes that the research shows that:
- Governments must implement clear regulations on AI use in political campaigning, particularly regarding advertising, with appropriate oversight and enforcement mechanisms.
- Social media platforms should significantly increase investment in linguistically diverse content moderation in the context of election disinformation, aiming for more balanced enforcement across languages.
- Governments must establish a robust funding mechanism for civil society organisations combating disinformation, recognizing their crucial role in defending democratic integrity.
- Independent media, particularly those entities that historically have high integrity and high standards, must be appropriately bolstered to prevent market failure.
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