Welcome to the seventh issue of NetMission’s news and policy digest, where we transform recent tech news and policy into a bite-size reader for you. For those who celebrate the Lunar New Year or adhere to Chinese astrology, 2024 marks the year of the dragon. Yet, for the broader population, this year stands out as a pivotal year with significant elections globally.
More than two billion people across 50 countries will cast ballots in democratic elections this year (Note: The reporting of the election year varies in media outlets; refer to this analysis for an alternative approach to counting elections.) Starting with Bangladesh on January 7, followed by Taiwan on January 13, and Pakistan on February 8. Subsequently, elections will unfold in countries such as Indonesia, India, Pakistan, South Korea, and Tuvalu, culminating in the election for the European Parliament and the United States presidential election later in the year.
This edition will highlight the threats to elections (and democracy) in the digital age and explore some digital policies we can anticipate as new cabinets kick-start their tenure.
Bangladesh: No Internet Shutdown During Election
To preserve electoral integrity, the accessibility of trustworthy information with diverse viewpoints from credible sources is pivotal. It is a big win that Bangladesh stayed connected during the election, given the country has a history of weaponizing Internet shutdowns to quell dissent. For instance, 3G and 4G Internet services were suspended in the run-up to Bangladesh’s general election in 2018.
After the controversial victory of the Awami League, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reiterated the “Smart Bangladesh” pledge along with a series of digitization efforts spanning healthcare, banking, infrastructure, and more. Nonetheless, the Smart Bangladesh Vision 2041 faces challenges, including the country’s low Internet penetration rate of 38.9% (in comparison to the global rate of 63.1% according to the World Bank), the controversies towards election fairness, and the impact of the recent Cyber Security Bill on rights, with concerns raised by Amnesty International and human rights advocates.
Taiwan: Flood of Misinformation and Disinformation
Most people were caught up in the aftermath of the election result and China’s disapproval of global leaders congratulating President Lai Ching-te for his victory, though today’s focus is not on this diplomatic wrestling. Instead, we aim to underscore (in case you were unaware) how information was weaponized leading up to this election.
Taiwan for the 10th consecutive year encountered the highest influx of disinformation from foreign sources. Much like many regions worldwide, Taiwan often sees an uptick in disinformation during elections. In the 2020 Taiwanese presidential election, researchers found China’s influence on Taiwanese media outlets and analyzed its information operations on spreading pro-China narratives on social media and other channels.
This time was no exception, China’s massive disinformation campaign, including the widespread distribution of misleading news articles, the arming of chatbots on social media, and the release of deepfake videos, aimed at sowing confusion on the election. To combat the rising tide of false information, its people rely on fact-checking applications like Aunti Meiyu to prevent forming a vortex of disinformation in society. Observers attributed the effectiveness of the “Taiwan Model” in response to disinformation, wherein the government empowers CivTech (civil-tech) to counter disinformation independently, embracing multistakeholderism to encourage civil participation.
You may be interested in this article: Asia and the Pacific in 2024: Elections, Economics, and Geopolitics – The Asia Foundation
New Challenges to Elections in the Digital Age
In the age of information, social media has become the battlefield of any election. While the Cambridge Analytica scandal is a classic case of political advertising on social media platforms revealing data protection and privacy concerns, recent research shows social media platforms turned into a hotbed of cyberbullying. In Indonesia, cyberbullying was being strategically intensified to hinder women and girls from fully participating in the election or even in society.
In 2023, several laws and regulations were passed in some countries in the Asia Pacific region, granting the government more control over news and information. For instance, Pakistan’s existing laws on blasphemy, national security, and data protection were amended just before their parliament was dissolved in August 2023, granting the authorities extensive censorship powers. In the past months, social media platforms were made inaccessible in Pakistan when the main opposition party held a virtual rally and a fundraising event recently. This sets a dangerous precedent for the upcoming general election in the country and raises concerns over freedom of expression.
You may be interested in this article: Elections in the digital age – Digital Watch Observatory
Epilogue: Roles of AI During this Global Election Year
Revisiting a fundamental aspect of elections, a shift in office represents an opportunity for a change in national strategies and policies. Such changes can potentially “flip” a region’s geopolitical landscape and, at times, even global diplomatic relations. The election of Tuvalu on Friday garnered some international attention, particularly since this tiny Pacific island nation is one of a few that holds diplomatic ties to the government of Taiwan.
More elections are happening later this year, and the rapid advancement of technology poses new challenges. The recent Argentina’s presidential election demonstrated how candidates could leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) to create images and videos to promote themselves and to launch attacks against each other. While new technologies can be adapted to resist the “information war”, they can also be weaponized to disrupt an election or even democracy, revealing more underlying concerns in the digital age.
The examples in this article are only a few to name, but they all serve to illustrate the impact elections can have on a country’s future development. This year holds critical significance for everyone, whether you actively exercise your democratic right to cast your vote, or like me, do not have the privilege to participate in a democratic process. It is a year that demands our collective attention as it serves as a litmus test for democracy.
You may be interested in this video: Exploring AI Threats to Electoral Integrity – Columbia SIPA
What are we reading?
We are currently reading the “Introduction to Digital Humanism”. This textbook delves into the various dimensions of digital humanism, including AI, platform power, surveillance, democracy, and technology ethics. Notably, this textbook is open-access, ensuring that you enjoy unrestricted access to its content.
By Jenna Manhau Fung (Reviewed and edited by Kenneth Leung and Vicente Arias González)