2024 elections | Curbing propaganda during elections

JOHANNESBURG - With the 2024 national elections approaching, there will be a surge of misinformation.

This is a view from Media Monitoring Africa.

However, the Independent Electoral Commission has partnered with social media giants as well as the MMA to try and curb disinformation.

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The commission says digital media has seen a surge in propaganda notably on social media platforms.

If left unchecked, this could undermine the conduct of credible elections.  

"There are a number of agents that can look to gain from spreading disinformation," said MMA's William Bird.

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"Sometimes it can be foreign entities, we've seen it happen in Brazil and sometimes people do it for money and sometimes even fun because they get a kick out of scaring people.

"There are a number of actors that have an interest in discrediting the election," he said.

"If you can undermine the credibility, you can say the election was rigged."