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European Partnership for Democracy (EPD) ... world is taking place primarily on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and other social media platforms. skiptoMainContentThisarticlewasfirstpublishedbyOpenGovernmentPartnership andwrittenbyRuth-MarieHenckes,AdvocacyandCommunicationsOfficeratEuropeanPartnershipforDemocracy.Clickheretoseetheoriginalpost. Todaymorethanever,electionsarewonandlostonsocialmedia.Withpeoplepracticingsocialdistancingandstayingathome,politicalcampaigningaroundtheworldistakingplaceprimarilyonFacebook,YouTube,Twitterandothersocialmediaplatforms.NotonlywillsocialmediabedecisiveintheupcomingelectionsintheUnitedStates,butalsoinMyanmar–whereFacebookwasusedtoincitehatredandviolenceagainsttheRohingyaminority.Whilesocialmediacanbeagreatplatformforvotermobilisationandciviceducationcampaigns,onlinepoliticalcampaigningalsoentailsriskstoelectoralintegrity.Broadcastornewspaperpoliticalcampaigningispubliclyavailabletothewholepopulationandsubjectedtostrictrequirements,butthereisnosuchpublicscrutinyforonlineads.Onsocialmedia,advertiserschoosetheirownaudienceandmicro-targetthesehomogenousgroupswithveryspecificmessages,segmentingthepopulationandfurtherpolarisingpeoplewithincompleteinformationthatreinforcestheirownviews.Suchtargetedadscanbeboughtbyanyone–includingmalignactorsandproxyadvertisers–openingthedoortobigmoneyinterference,withoutthepossibilityofpublicscrutiny.Thiscreatesanunlevelpoliticalplayingfield,wherethosepoliticalactorswhoaretransparentandresponsibleareplacedatadisadvantageoverthosewhobreaktherules.Thiscreatesaregulatorypredicament.WhileseveralOGPmembersaretacklingchallengeswithreformsrelatedtomoneyandpolitics,mostelectoralcodesandpoliticalpartyfinancelawsarebasedontraditionalmodelsofcampaigning.Thosereformsalonearesimplynotequippedtorestrictandoverseetheseunprecedentedthreatstoelectoralintegrity.Addingtothisisthefactthatsocialmediaplatformsprovideverylimitedinformationontheirinternalworkings.Legislatorsarethusconfrontedwithtwomajorchallenges:theopacityofplatforms’targetedadvertisingmodelsandthequestionofhowtodefinepoliticaladvertisingonline.TakeBen&Jerry’snewicecreamflavourswithpoliticalnameslikePecanResistforinstance:Doesthiscountaspoliticaladvertising?WhataboutaGreenpeacecalltoactiononclimatechange?Whatexactlyisapoliticallynoteworthyadvertisement?Theboundariesofpoliticaladsareaninherentlymurkyandcontestedgreyzone,andpoliticaladsconstantlychangeinnatureandtactics.Differentelectionsturnondifferenthottopicsandkeythemes.Sotheveryphenomenonthatregulatorstrytolegislateseemsimpossibletomeaningfullydefine.Butwhatifweswitchthedefaultfromopacitytotransparency?Fromtheblackboxofsocialmediaadvertisingthatenablesmalignactorstodistortdemocraticdebate,towardsanopenadvertisingsystemthatallowsforpublicscrutiny?Acivilsocietycoalitionconcernedwithelectoralintegrityhascometogetheraskingexactlyforthis:universaltransparencyofalladvertisingastheonlywaytofixpoliticaladvertisingonline.Mandatoryonlineadvertisingrepositorieswithmeaningfulinformationonallsocialmediaadvertising–includingcommercialads –istheonlywaytocreatethepublicscrutinyweneedtoidentifypoliticaladsandoverseeallthefringecasesandnewformsofpoliticalcampaigning. Byincludingmeaningfulinformationontheadvertisingandfinancingsource,aswellastargetingcriteria,suchadvertisingrepositorieswouldalsohelpreducemoneyinterferenceandexposeharmfulmicrotargetingpractices.Aselectioncampaigningincreasinglymovesonline,weneedtoputinplacesafeguardsthatwillprotecttheintegrityofpoliticaldebate,andensurethatbothplatformsandpoliticalactorscanbeheldaccountable.OpenGovernmentPartnership(OGP)memberscanplayacentralroleinprovidingsuchessentialsafeguardsforourdemocraciesintwoways.Firstofall,OGPmemberscanmoderniseelectionlawstoincludetransparencymeasuresononlinetargetingandlimitationsonforeignfundingaspartoftheiractionplans,likeCanadahascommittedtowithitsHealthyDemocracyinitiative.TheNetherlandshasembarkedonsimilarreforms.Secondly,OGPmemberscanalsodevelopmandatorymeasuresforsocialmediaplatformstoenhancetransparencyofalladvertising,drawinginspirationfromthesecivilsocietyrecommendations,indialoguewithnationalcivilsociety,regulatoryandpoliticalactors.ThroughtheseactionsOGPmemberscanhelpmakepoliticaladvertisingmoretransparentandsafeguarddemocracyinadigitalage.MorenewsReadmoreCivilsocietyrecommendationsforanambitiousruleoflawreportin2022March22,2022ReadmoreEPDstandswithUkraineMarch4,2022ReadmoreSupportingtransparency:strengtheningdialoguebetweencivilsocietyandpublicauthoritiesinMoroccoFebruary23,2022ReadmoreEPDStatementontheCommission’s2022RuleofLawReportFebruary21,2022ReadmoreCallforApplication:FinalEvaluationofMediaDialogueProjectFebruary7,2022ReadmoreEuropeanDemocracySupportAnnualReview2021January24,2022ReadmoreReviewingprogressontheEDAPJanuary12,2022ReadmoreTurningthepageon2021:12keymomentsfordemocracythisyearDecember16,2021ReadmoreTheroleofcivictechinconsolidatingdemocracyinAfricaDecember9,2021ReadmoreBolsteringWomen’sPoliticalPower:LessonsfromtheEU’sGenderActionPlanIIDecember7,2021ReadmoreReactiontoonlinepoliticaladsregulationproposalNovember25,2021ReadmoreSenseandsensibility:theroleofpolicydialogueintheEU’snewglobalagendaNovember15,2021previouspost:DemocracyandTechpolicy–whatCOVID-19hastaughtusnextpost:ProgrammingforDemocracy:Ahow-toguidefordifferentareasofdemocraticsupportBackToTopThissiteusescookies:Findoutmore.Okay,thanks.

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