Maria do Rosário Gonçalves highlighted the importance of strengthening “the resilience of democracy” through “preventive measures to combat disinformation” in electoral cycles.
The president of the National Electoral Commission (CNE) of Cape Verde stated this Wednesday that the country needs to adopt measures, such as legal and legal regulation dedicated to social networks, to combat disinformation during the electoral cycle.
“It is crucial that the country adopts Preventive measures to combat misinformation and preserve the veracity of the information, strengthening the resilience of our democracy,” said Maria do Rosário Gonçalves, in the city of Praia.
During a meeting to discuss the preservation of the integrity of the elections in the face of misinformation, the president of the CNE pointed out that one of the measures that must be adopted is the “regulation from a legal and legal point of view of social networks.” and artificial intelligence platforms.”
“This regulation is the desirable and urgent measure,” he said.
Maria Gonçalves highlighted that widespread disinformation on social networks, the inappropriate use of artificial intelligence and the attempt to illegitimately access data and information of citizens and voters, “constitute a challenge to democracy and that can weaken the country due to distrust in institutionsrisks to human rights and political destabilization.”
“In the absence of specific legislation, as is the case in Cape Verde, It is possible to adopt strategies that can mitigate the effects of misinformation.“he said, highlighting the collaboration with social platforms, the creation of networks to verify facts that involve the media and civil society and the carrying out of campaigns on the use of digital tools and platforms in an ethical and transparent manner.
Cape Verde should have at least 23,000 new voters in the municipal elections scheduled for December 1.
In May, communication regulators in Africa expressed at a meeting in Cape Verde the need to review laws to address information disseminated in the digital space, without being produced by journalists.
Source: Observadora
