Election Commissioner flags threat of fake news at international conference

Election Commissioner Arun Goel participated in an international conference focused on "Preserving Information Integrity and Public Trust in Elections" where he flagged the issue of fake news.

The conference held in Brasilia from August 14 to 15 was hosted by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) and the Tribunal Superior Eleitoral, Brazil, the Election Commission (EC) said on Wednesday.

Goel addressed the participants on "Mapping election management bodies (EMBs) coordination and communication with technology and social media companies".

He shared insights, experiences and the measures taken by the EC to preserve information integrity in the digital age for conduct of free and fair elections, including the Voluntary Code of Ethics for Social Media companies, which is operational since 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

While elaborating on the challenges of fake news during elections in the fast evolving communication and technology landscape, Goel urged EMBs to come together to devise global guidelines and a code for social media companies to safeguard the sanctity of elections, according to the poll panel.