Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

General Election: Online Misinformation

Thursday 11 January 2024 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The committee has not had any recent discussions with the Electoral Commission.
  • The Electoral Commission focuses on political finance transparency and campaign material imprints.
  • The commission shares concerns about deepfakes and AI-generated content affecting voter confidence.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Christine Jardine Lib Dem Edinburgh West
Democracy & Elections
Context

The question arises from concerns about the impact of online misinformation on electoral processes, particularly following cyber-attacks during the last election.

Question

What recent discussions has the committee had with the Electoral Commission on tackling online misinformation ahead of the next general election?

Answer from Cat Smith

The committee has not had any recent discussions with the Electoral Commission. The commission's regulatory remit is focused on ensuring political finance transparency and campaign material includes an imprint showing the producer. The commission does not regulate content but encourages responsible campaigning and calls for legal changes to improve transparency.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Recent discussions with the Electoral Commission on tackling online misinformation ahead of the next general election

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Q2 Christine Jardine Lib Dem Edinburgh West
Democracy & Elections Science & Technology
Context

The question follows concerns about cyber-attacks during the last election and the potential for new technologies like AI to pose further threats, such as spreading false audio of politicians.

Question

I thank the hon. Lady for her answer. The imprints are going to be important, but we have already seen an attack on our system through cyber-attacks at the last general election. At this general election, we face the increased, insidious threat to our democracy from artificial intelligence and fake news circulating false audio from politicians during conference season, so is there anything else that the commission is considering, or that it could do, to attack that sort of insidious approach?

Answer from Cat Smith

The commission shares concerns about new technologies like deepfakes and AI-generated content potentially taking away voter confidence. While it does not regulate content, it works with other organisations to support responsible and transparent campaigning. I would be happy to arrange a meeting for the hon. Lady to discuss this matter further.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific measures or considerations regarding AI-generated content in elections by the Electoral Commission

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