Meta to mark AI, deepfakes to shield election integrity | Seymour ...
Major social media platforms are gearing up to tackle voting interference in the Australian election amidst the surge of misinformation during the political campaign. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, is taking a proactive stance by implementing measures to address the spread of disinformation through artificial intelligence and digitally manipulated content.
Combatting Misinformation
Concerns have been raised about the emergence of realistic deepfakes, which refer to digitally altered images, videos, or audio that are increasingly difficult to distinguish from authentic content. In response to this challenge, Meta has announced that posts generated by AI or manipulated digitally will be required to carry a disclaimer. This initiative aims to prevent the dissemination of fake news and misleading information that could potentially impact the integrity of the election process.
Under the new guidelines, photorealistic content in ads created by Meta AI will be labeled accordingly. 
Additionally, images generated by users from platforms such as Google, OpenAI, Microsoft, Adobe, Midjourney, and Shutterstock will also be subject to labeling. Stricter labels will be applied to content that poses a high risk of deceiving the public on important matters.
Ensuring Transparency
Advertisers running campaigns related to social issues, elections, or politics are required to provide authorizations, including a "paid for by" disclaimer. 
Non-compliance with these guidelines may result in rejection of ads and penalties for repeat offenders. To facilitate transparency, Meta has made these authorizations publicly available in its library.
Training sessions have been conducted with candidates and political parties to ensure compliance with the necessary authorizations during the campaign period. Drawing from insights gathered from elections worldwide, Meta has observed a relatively low volume of AI-generated misinformation related to social issues, elections, and politics.
Partnerships and Collaborations
Meta has been actively collaborating with organizations like Agence France-Presse and the Australian Associated Press to fact-check posts. Content that has been debunked will be flagged with a warning label and its distribution limited to reduce visibility. Furthermore, Meta is working closely with the Australian Electoral Commission to provide users with verified information across its platforms.
As part of its efforts to safeguard election integrity, Meta is also focused on tracking coordinated foreign influence operations. Since 2017, the company has taken down over 200 such networks. Despite the persistent challenges posed by deceptive campaigns, Meta remains committed to combating misinformation that could potentially lead to imminent physical harm or election interference.
By leveraging its experiences from global elections in countries like India, Britain, and the US, Meta aims to enhance its strategies for identifying and addressing threats to election integrity. 
Users can expect to receive reminders to vote on polling day, underscoring Meta's commitment to promoting civic engagement and informed participation in the electoral process.
