November 8, 2023 at 02:10PM
Microsoft and Meta have announced different initiatives to combat misinformation during the upcoming global elections in 2024. Microsoft’s strategy includes implementing Content Credentials, a service that enables political campaigns to attach metadata to images and videos to verify their authenticity. Meanwhile, Meta will require advertisers to disclose when digitally manipulated content is used in social issue, electoral, or political ads. Both companies aim to address the spread of misleading information, but concerns remain about the effectiveness of these initiatives.
Microsoft has announced a five-step election protection strategy for the upcoming 2024 elections. Their first initiative is the Content Credentials service, which allows users to attach metadata to images and videos to prove their authenticity. However, there are concerns about whether apps can process the metadata, and the possibility of bad actors stripping the metadata. Microsoft has not addressed how they will police the spread of misinformation through their services. They have also created a “Campaign Success Team” to advise political campaigns on AI and cyber influence campaigns. Microsoft plans to create an Election Communications Hub and partner with authoritative news sources. They are also supporting legislation to protect campaigns from deepfakes. Meta has announced that advertisers will have to disclose digitally created or altered content in their political and social issue ads. The policy will go into effect in 2024 and will apply globally. However, Meta’s oversight board recently allowed a manipulated video of US President Biden to remain on Facebook, highlighting some inconsistencies in their policies. Meta plans to rely on independent fact-checking partners to review media for fake content.