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Haiti - Elections : Urgent need to regulate online disinformation 03/11/2025 09:18:43
"The draft 2025 Electoral Decree, currently under consultation ( https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-46111-haiti-flash-electoral-decree-revealed-diaspora-and-women-voting-mandatory.html ), does not include any specific provisions to regulate online disinformation, sponsored campaigns on social media, or the protection of candidates against online harassment. In a context where digital platforms shape public information, this gap constitutes a major risk to democracy. Haiti has 2.65 million active social media users (= 22.4% of the total population; = 35.4% of the adult population). Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, and TikTok have become strategic spaces for political mobilization. Ignoring this issue exposes the electoral process to manipulation, opaque financing, and cyberviolence. These figures show that the digital space is now a strategic electoral arena; it must therefore be regulated. Main risks associated with the absence of a specific framework: 1- Manipulation of public opinion : Rumors, deepfakes, falsified content, and automated messages (robocalls, bottexts) can circulate rapidly and influence voters' decisions. The use of artificial intelligence exacerbates this risk by enabling the creation of hyper-personalized, credible, and misleading content on a large scale, making detection and correction extremely difficult. 2- Opaque financing : Targeted political advertising, exempt from traceability, facilitates undeclared or foreign interference. 3- Harassment and cyberviolence : Candidates, particularly women, are subjected to insults, threats, and smear campaigns, which discourages democratic participation. 4- Erosion of trust : The lack of verification and enforcement mechanisms fosters distrust, disengagement, and post-election instability. Recommendations : To fill the legal void and protect the integrity of the election, it is urgent to integrate a clear framework into the 2025 Electoral Decree, dedicated to digital communication and the fight against disinformation, mandating transparency for sponsored messages (identity, amount, targeting) and providing for proportionate penalties for the deliberate dissemination of false information. In parallel, the creation of a National Digital Electoral Monitoring Unit will enable the rapid detection of threats and the coordination of responses. These recommendations are based on international best practices and aim to strengthen the credibility and transparency of the electoral process in a context of widespread digital penetration. The upcoming elections in Haiti will be decided, in part, on screens. Failing to regulate the digital space is tantamount to leaving democracy unprotected. The 2025 Electoral Decree offers an opportunity to fill this void : protecting the right to information, guaranteeing the transparency of campaigns, and defending participation, particularly that of women, against online violence. I call upon electoral authorities, public decision-makers, the media, civil society, and international partners to mobilize urgently to adopt the necessary measures to protect the integrity of the ballot and preserve democratic peace." HL/ HaitiLibre
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