Internet 2.0 submission to the Senate Finance and Public Administration References Committee Administration of the referendum into an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice
Internet 2.0 submitted to the Senate inquiry in 2023 that there exists real capability for malign actors to conduct large inauthentic social media campaigns that is software enabled against the Voice Referendum. The impacts of these campaigns historically are division in society and loss of trust in the outcomes of elections.
In our assessment current platforms used by social media platforms to identify these inauthentic social media campaigns are inaccurate. Social media companies also have no long-term incentive to identify and remove inauthentic social media accounts. Technology breakthroughs in generative artificial intelligence (AI) and “deep fakes” are also making it harder over time to accurately detect inauthentic content.
To defend voter confidence in elections and prevent more division within society we need
• Broad social media monitoring with software and text analysis to accurately identify and assess inauthentic accounts speaking about the Voice.
• A large publicity campaign constantly pointing out bots speaking about the Voice to inoculate voters about the risks
• Political activism and engagement by the official campaign teams to highlight the risks these bots are introducing to their campaign.
5th Column will be used to defend the vote
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