From Literacy To Alerting Authorities: How Voters Can Be Safeguarded From Malicious Digital Activities During Elections

Armed with dangerous technology like GenAI and deepfakes, threat actors won’t leave any ammunition unused in their arsenal to influence voters to sway the outcome of the upcoming elections.

Deepfakes are turning out to be a serious concern when it comes to election misinformation.

Source : X/Ranveer Singh

By Kumar Ritesh

2024 is slated to go down as a turning point in the history of mankind. Sixty-four countries plus EU nations will go through their national elections and the outcome of these has the power to reshape life-changing events right from wars, foreign policy, sanctions, and oil imports to national themes like employment, providing a better standard of living to populations and much more. 

With so much at stake, India, too, is now in election mode. Political equations are changing faster than your gaming avatars. Threat actors are keeping a close watch on the political mood of every nation but India is their sweet spot simply because it is one of the fast emerging geopolitical powers and the largest democracy in the world. 

Armed with dangerous technology like GenAI and deepfakes, threat actors won’t leave any ammunition unused in their arsenal to influence voters to sway the outcome of the upcoming elections. Remember, the threat actors are working on behalf of nations that don’t want India to grow in global stature or they have an interest in the strategic assets of the country.

During election season worldwide, we have seen countries facing issues with deepfakes and audio cloning going viral, attacking the election integrity and impacting citizens’ perspectives on political parties. 

This January, during the US Democratic Party’s New Hampshire Presidential primary, a robocall mimicking President Joe Biden's voice falsely advised voters to not participate, claiming it would affect their eligibility for the general election. The flood of misinformation posed a direct threat to the essence of democratic principles. The denunciation of the news as fake was speedy, however, the damage was already done. This incident stands as a reminder that social media, artificial intelligence (AI) or any technology can become a threat to the general public and the country at large if corrective actions are not put in place to stop the spread of such misinformation. 

The incident mirrors the reality and limitations of our fact-checking ability. And shows us how deepfakes and voice cloning can not only influence but attack the essence of democracy creating doubt in the hearts and minds of the citizens. The strength of democracy lies in the credibility of elections, simply raising doubt about the integrity of the electoral process is enough to harm the social fabric of society. There have been numerous attacks during the election process in India too, where approximately 97 crore individuals out of a population of 144 crore are eligible to participate in the elections. 

The Risks of AI During Election

Organised misinformation campaigns on social media and other platforms to amplify or suppress political messages, sway public opinion, undermine trust in election integrity and affect election outcomes. A fitting example of this would be November 2023’s case when voters lined up for legislative elections in Telangana, a seven-second clip went viral on social media. Posted by the Congress party, it featured KT Rama Rao of the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samiti urging support for the Congress.

Personalised advertisements spread false information through AI-driven microtargeting or algorithms to manipulate opinions or suppress voter turnout.
AI-generated deepfake videos or voice cloning are used to spread false information about political parties to manipulate public perception. 
Targeted phishing scams aimed at election officials or political parties to get sensitive information or introduce malware.

These threats do not only work on social media. They attack our privacy, get our data through phishing scams, and manipulate voter registration systems, voting machines or even election management systems, to create doubt in voters. Once the seed of doubt is planted, the integrity of the election comes at risk, allowing malicious factors to play freely with voters' feelings and the country's future. 

To counter this, the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) & the Election Commission of India are taking down objectionable online content. The Election Commission of India has issued standard operating procedures for identification and quick response to fake news and misinformation.

Safeguard measures individuals can take: 

1. Education in terms of:
   A. Media Literacy: Learn how to identify fake news, manipulated campaigns, deepfake video and audio cloning. Verify information sources and fact-check on official govt websites. And most importantly think critically before believing any news.
   A recent example of media illiteracy can be people sharing news of RSS supporting the National Congress Party.
   B. Digital Literacy: Stay informed about the latest threats, secure your accounts and devices safe with strong passwords, multi-factor authentication, and the latest software, and monitor device systems to detect malware, and phishing methods employed by scammers.
2. Alert Authorities about false information or misinformation campaigns.
3. And always remember, social media is not a news reporting site. It is social and any content can go viral there, do not believe what you read there. As we immerse ourselves in the election season, safeguarding our cybersecurity against malicious content becomes paramount. The rapid increase in deepfakes, AI-driven misinformation campaigns, and phishing scams pose a threat to India’s smooth elective process.

Citizens must remain vigilant and equip themselves with media and digital literacy while government bodies implement robust methods to counter cyber threats. Together, India must solidify its defence to ensure the sanctity of the electoral system.

(The author is the Founder and CEO at Cyfirma)

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