‘Voluntary Code of Ethics’ for social media platforms

Posted 19 Apr 2024

2 min read

X (formerly Twitter) withheld 4 posts for Model Code of Conduct violation at the request of the Election Commission of India (ECI), adhering to the 'Voluntary Code of Ethics' for social media platforms.

Voluntary Code of Ethics (CoE)
- CoE aims to ensure free, fair, and ethical usage of SMPs to maintain the integrity of the electoral process
- First presented to the ECI by various SMPs and Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) in 2019.
- Code also promises to facilitate transparency in paid political advertisements.

Commitment of SMPs under CoE
- ECI can notify the relevant platforms of potential violations of Section 126 of Representation of People Act, 1951, and other applicable electoral laws which shall be acknowledged/ processed within 3 hours.
  - Section 126(1)(b) prohibits displaying any election matter in any electronic media during the period of 48 hours ending with the hour fixed for conclusion of poll.
- Platforms have to create high priority dedicated reporting mechanism for ECI for taking expeditious action on any reported violations.
- Platforms to provide a mechanism for political advertisers to submit pre-certified advertisements issued by Media Certification and Monitoring Committee.

Echo chambers and filter bubble: Algorithms reinforce existing biases and limit exposure to diverse viewpoints.
Voter profiling and Micro-targeting: Potential misuse of personal data for voter profiling and micro-targeting.
Misinformation and disinformation: Rapid dissemination of false information, including fabricated news, doctored images or videos, etc.
External influence: SMPs can be used by foreign actors to influence elections through coordinated disinformation campaigns, amplification of divisive content, etc. [e.g., Cambridge Analytica Controversy in the US (2018)]

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