Electoral interference
Electoral interference - Generation of false or misleading information that can interrupt or mislead voters and/or undermine trust in electoral processes.
ENTITY
1 - Human
INTENT
1 - Intentional
TIMING
2 - Post-deployment
Risk ID
mit981
Domain lineage
4. Malicious Actors & Misuse
4.1 > Disinformation, surveillance, and influence at scale
Mitigation strategy
1. Establish a Formal Multi-Stakeholder Resilience Framework Implement mandatory, pre-election protocols for real-time, cross-sector coordination among Electoral Management Bodies, national security apparatuses, and technology platforms. This includes conducting joint scenario planning and rapid response exercises to ensure clear lines of communication, pre-agreed thresholds for public notification of verified foreign or domestic electoral interference, and coordinated action to mitigate the dissemination of false information. 2. Deploy Proactive Cognitive Inoculation and Media Literacy Campaigns Fund and deploy targeted public awareness campaigns utilizing 'prebunking' techniques to proactively educate the electorate on the evolving tactics (e.g., deepfakes, emotional manipulation, source impersonation) used in electoral disinformation. These programs must be designed to enhance citizens' critical media consumption skills, promoting independent source verification and a reduction in the propensity to share unverified, high-virality content. 3. Enforce Platform Transparency and Content Moderation Interventions Mandate technology platforms to implement and enforce policies that increase algorithmic transparency, rigorously applying content provenance cues, fact-check labeling, and algorithmic downranking to limit the reach and velocity of identified disinformation. This must be coupled with the removal of financial incentives for bad actors by strictly demonetizing accounts or content that violates policies against electoral interference, particularly those utilizing scalable, AI-generated synthetic media.