Ontario’s chief electoral officer seeks more tools to fight misinformation

The emergence of artificial intelligence and its quality to rapidly dispersed misinformation and disinformation during predetermination campaigns should beryllium addressed by expanding transparency astir governmental ads and allowing for the removal of misleading contented astir the electoral process, Ontario’s main electoral serviceman recommends.

Greg Essensa precocious tabled a study successful the Ontario legislature, asking the authorities to update laws to springiness him much tools to support the integrity of the electoral process.

“The existent authorization of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) nether the Election Act and the Election Finances Act to investigate, thwart and punish misconduct is insufficient to code increasing threats successful a rapidly evolving integer scenery wherever elector perceptions tin beryllium improperly manipulated by fake quality and AI-generated contented that is amplified by algorithms,” Essensa wrote.

The study mostly deals with concerns astir communications astir the electoral process itself, specified arsenic mendacious oregon misleading accusation astir voting procedures, ballot counting, candidacy withdrawals and elector privacy. In 2021, societal media posts impersonated Elections Alberta during that province’s municipal elections, Essensa wrote.

“For (electoral absorption bodies), the dispersed of synthetic contented connected societal media has go a important problem, with mendacious and misleading accusation present being generated astatine unprecedented speeds,” Essensa wrote.

“For example, this tin see convincing substance messages from candidates, mendacious announcements successful antithetic languages astir voting processes, oregon fake websites that look similar authoritative authorities ones.”

Social media companies specified arsenic Meta and X bash person policies astir misleading content, but the accelerated dispersed of misinformation often acold outpaces information checking oregon contented moderation, the study said.

Among the changes Essensa is urging is requiring predetermination advertisements that are automated — done by bots — to beryllium labelled arsenic such. Artificial quality tin amplify the dispersed of misinformation some by extending the scope and personalizing it, Essensa wrote.

The main electoral serviceman should besides person the authorization to levy administrative penalties of up to $20,000 for an idiosyncratic and up to $100,000 for a corp if they interruption misinformation oregon disinformation governmental advertizing regulations, Essensa wrote.

He is besides recommending that the main electoral serviceman beryllium capable to necessitate radical oregon companies to region mendacious oregon misleading contented astir the electoral process, with fines for non-compliance of up to $20,000 per time for individuals and up to $50,000 per time for organizations.

As well, Essensa would similar to necessitate each predetermination advertisers to station their integer ads successful a nationalist registry during elections with the sanction of the idiosyncratic oregon enactment sponsoring the ad, the cost, work dates, root of funding, targeting criteria and whether AI has been used.

A spokesperson for Attorney General Doug Downey acknowledged the study successful a abbreviated connection but made nary comments astir its recommendations.

“We recognize the value of maintaining the integrity of Ontario’s elections and are presently reviewing the report,” Jack Fazzari wrote.

The adjacent acceptable provincial predetermination day is successful June 2026, but absorption parties are preparing for Premier Doug Ford to perchance telephone an aboriginal predetermination successful the outpouring of 2025.