South Africa: Local Elections Will Test Voters' Ability to Spot Fake News
[ISS] Public confidence in identifying disinformation is falling just as AI and hyper-local campaigning make election manipulation harder to detect.
South Africa's upcoming local elections on November 4, 2026, are expected to be a crucial test for voters' ability to discern disinformation in an era where AI and hyper-local campaigning are making election manipulation more challenging to detect. The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has introduced a new Disinformation Code to counter this issue, recognizing the declining public confidence in identifying fake news, as evidenced by a recent Voter Participation Survey.
The survey revealed that while traditional media like television and radio remain influential, social media is increasingly used as a source of election-related information, with 23% of respondents citing it, up from 8% in 2021. However, the survey also found that only 18% of respondents regularly verify election-related information before sharing it, highlighting a concerning gap in verification practices.
The World Economic Forum's Global Risks Report 2026 has ranked misinformation and disinformation among the top risks facing societies, with the IEC Chairperson warning that the 2026 elections could see a shift towards more targeted, ward-specific deceptions driven by generative AI and hyper-local campaigning.
Brief written by urgent.news from AllAfrica's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
