NEW DELHI: Chief election commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar has raised serious concerns about the growing menace of misinformation and fake narratives on social media, comparing it to environmental pollution.
Speaking at the two-day international conference, Global Election Year 2024: Reiteration of Democratic Spaces; Takeaway for EMBs, held in New Delhi, Kumar stressed the urgent need for “anti-pollution measures” in the digital space.
“Social media space is polluted. If we have environmental pollution outside, equally serious social media pollution exists inside,” Kumar said.
The conference saw the formation of a working group for Election Management Bodies (EMBs) to collectively address challenges arising from artificial intelligence, social media, and cybersecurity. The “Delhi Declaration 2025,” adopted during the event, reflects EMBs’ commitment to free, fair, and inclusive elections while fostering innovation and integrity.
Kumar criticised the role of social media algorithms, claiming they often amplify one-sided views and promote misinformation. “Big-tech entities should ensure social media algorithms seek to clarify and inform rather than distort and misinform,” he said. He added that relying solely on fact-checkers to combat fake content was insufficient.
“Social media algorithms are designed in a way that repeatedly presents content aligned with existing views, reinforcing a perspective without exposing the person to the other side of the argument. Algorithms can certainly prevent that, especially in case of detectable fakes,” the CEC said.
“It is like first spreading disease and then selling medicines. The casualty is a fair election process and purity of democracy,” Kumar said.
Furthermore, the CEC called on social media companies to introspect and act before it is too late. He warned that misleading narratives could undermine democracy and freedom of speech, which are fundamental to these platforms.
While acknowledging the positives of digital platforms in democratising information, Kumar cautioned against their misuse. “Let the social media platforms, which have been instrumental in providing critical space for free expression, not be clouded by the shadows of fake, unverified, and misleading narratives,” he said.
He pointed out that social media and digital platforms have greatly benefited democracy by making information more accessible and giving people a space for free expression but on the other hand, they have also been misused as tools to undermine these very principles.