As the U.S. gears up for pivotal elections, worries about deepfakes, disinformation, and election manipulation through social media are at the forefront. However, the focus on safeguarding elections primarily in English-speaking regions leaves non-English speakers vulnerable to misinformation.
Tech companies have faced pressure to address baseless claims and hate speech, particularly in Western democracies. Yet, smaller countries and non-English speaking populations often receive less attention, exacerbating the spread of misinformation.
Recent changes in tech firms, including layoffs of content moderators and policy rollbacks, have further complicated the situation. The rise of artificial intelligence has made it easier to create deceptive audio and video content that can deceive voters.
This gap in protection has created opportunities for candidates, political parties, and foreign actors to exploit non-English speakers, such as Latino voters in the U.S. or millions of voters in India who speak languages other than English.
While major tech companies claim to monitor misinformation globally, their efforts have been more focused on the U.S. and the E.U. Meta, for instance, is launching a service on WhatsApp to flag AI deepfakes in four languages, but enforcement of new policies remains pending.
Concerns have been raised that tech companies prioritize addressing misinformation in the U.S. and Europe, neglecting other regions. This bias could heighten the risk of election misinformation influencing voter decisions worldwide.
In countries like Kenya and India, where multiple languages are spoken, voters are already facing a surge of false claims about elections. Misinformation campaigns have increased, with some linked to foreign entities like the Kremlin or domestic political groups.
Fact-checking organizations have become crucial in combating viral misinformation about elections. In India, ahead of upcoming elections, voters are inundated with misleading content, including edited videos, outdated photos, and fake election calendars.
Recognizing the urgent need to combat misinformation, advocacy groups and media outlets are joining forces to launch fact-checking initiatives like Shakti in India.
As the threat of election misinformation looms large, the call to protect non-English speaking voters and uphold the integrity of democratic processes grows stronger.
