The Battle Against Disinformation and Political Manipulation in the Upcoming European Elections: Navigating AI and Microtargeting Techniques

The upcoming European elections on June 9 have raised concerns about disinformation and political manipulation. The EU Agency for Cybersecurity (Enisa) has warned about the potential impact of generative artificial intelligence (AI) on the election process. This technology can create convincing texts and hyper-realistic videos that may influence citizens’ votes.

Aside from disinformation, political parties are using digital advertising tools provided by social networks to personalize and segment their messages to influence voters. While audience segmentation is a common practice for political marketing, microsegmentation that analyzes individual interests is not allowed in the EU due to privacy regulations.

Despite being prohibited, some parties in Europe continue to use microtargeting techniques to collect personal data from websites and social networks to create political profiles of citizens. This practice has been challenged legally in some countries, such as Spain, where activists and jurists have advocated for stricter regulations to protect citizens’ privacy.

To combat the spread of misinformation and political manipulation, organizations like Xnet have launched campaigns to analyze how social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram exploit user data for political purposes. These efforts aim to increase awareness of the dangers of microtargeting and provide tools for users to monitor personalized electoral advertising.

The European Commission has urged large platforms like Google, Meta, and TikTok to take measures to prevent the circulation of suspicious content that may influence voters. With the threat of deepfakes, hyper-realistic videos generated by AI, there is a growing concern about the potential impact on democratic processes and the integrity of elections.

As the elections draw near, it is essential to ensure the security of cyber infrastructures and the availability of accurate information to maintain trust in the electoral process. Safeguarding against disinformation and political manipulation is crucial to upholding the integrity of democratic elections in the EU.

In conclusion, with increasing threats posed by AI-generated misinformation and microtargeting techniques used by political parties, it is imperative that action be taken by governments, organizations and individuals alike