IEC disinformation watchdog gets over 70 complaints

Just over a month since its launch, the Electoral Commission’s (IEC) pilot project to combat digital disinformation has reportedly received more than 70 complaints.

Thus far, 34 complaints have been finalised and the IEC said it planned to process the rest as they received them.

Interestingly, the committee set up to assess complaints states that to date, no instances of deliberate disinformation have been found.

A number of the complaints, while not disinformation, have related to the tone and content of messages by political parties and contestants, which have the ability to cause offence and/or undue political tension and rivalry.

In these cases, the Electoral Commission is addressing these complaints with the relevant political parties.

Several complaints refer to news articles or opinion pieces on news websites and those have been referred to the Press Council where appropriate.

“It is important to note that journalists reporting on what politicians say is not disinformation. A free press is critical for free and fair elections, and encourages accountability and keeps the electorate informed. Another area of potential confusion relates to the nuances of satire. Satire has an important role to play in political commentary and the Electoral Commission is committed to ensuring that free speech is not undermined in this disinformation initiative,” said the IEC.

Due to the fact that there can be confusion as to what emanates from the political party and what does not, the IEC has also issued a special advisory about using original images of political party material.

Publishers of satirical material “would be well served to indicate content as satire to mitigate people reporting such to the online platform” added the IEC.

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The Vice-Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of South Africa, Janet Love, said: “The complaints received have served to highlight the challenges of combating disinformation and the continuing need for education regarding what constitutes disinformation. At the time, the number of complaints and interactions demonstrates that South Africans are taking the time to engage with political messages and reporting in digital media.”

Director of Media Monitoring Africa William Bird applauded the IEC for launching this world-first mechanism for empowering the public and helping people combat disinformation.

Media Monitoring Africa is partnering with the IEC in the initiative.

“For a platform that is just in its infancy, we have seen already great interest and support for what we are trying to do, which can inspire us all as we build our democracy,” said Bird.

With just two days to go before the elections, the Electoral Commission and Media Monitoring Africa advised all South Africans to cast a critical eye on what they read and share online and to continue to report possible disinformation to www.real411.org.za.

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