PARIS, France – UNESCO released its new handbook Elections in Digital Times: A Guide for Electoral Practitioners. The handbook offers a comprehensive overview of international and regional standards regarding the rights to freedom of expression, access to information, political participation, and privacy in the context of electoral processes.
While the internet and social media can strengthen democratic participation, improve voters’ access to information, and facilitate interaction between political parties and their electorates, they also harbor risks that may disrupt and undermine electoral processes. These range, amongst others, from the spread of disinformation, misinformation, mal-information, conspiracy theories and hate speech, to surveillance and micro-targeting, and to censorship and internet shutdowns.
The publication thus assesses the impact, both positive and negative, of new developments relating to social media and Artificial Intelligence in the context of democratic elections. It is based on the need for key electoral stakeholders to have access to more tools and knowledge to tackle the complex problem posed by disinformation, misinformation and mal-information as well as hate speech during electoral processes.
“This handbook is a concrete response to the many requests made to UNESCO, with which we are reinforcing the capacities of electoral practitioners to guarantee free, plural and fair elections by fostering freedom of expression. The manual is addressed to electoral practitioners and outlines emerging issues linked to the opportunities and risks posed by the Internet, social media, and AI. It also provides good practice examples and recommendations in different electoral settings,” Guilherme Canela, chief freedom of expression and safety of journalists section, UNESCO
These guidelines serve to provide electoral management bodies, electoral practitioners, the media, political parties, civil society organizations, and other key stakeholders with the necessary tools to help prevent online and offline electoral-related violence and manipulation.
Towards this end, existing international law and norms, and good practices around the world, are identified and highlighted. These norms and practices function as important benchmarks, and we have used them to develop concrete practical suggestions for all relevant stakeholders in the electoral process. The handbook aims to contribute to capacity-building initiatives and training, both online and on the ground.
UNESCO launched the handbook alongside a discussion where Minister Luís Roberto Barroso, Justice of the Supreme Federal Court of Brazil and former President of the Superior Electoral Court in Brazil, during his visit to UNESCO to speak on the topic of freedom of expression, disinformation, and democracy. His lecture served as a vantage point from which to discuss the role of the judiciary and electoral regulators, so that freedom of expression, and more broadly the rule of law and respect for human rights, can be ensured.
