To safeguard the upcoming European elections in June, CEE Digital Democracy Watch joined a diverse task force of civil society organisations in introducing the Democratic Shield initiative – ten cross-society actions aimed at safeguarding the security and integrity of the upcoming elections.
As the June 2024 European Parliament elections approach, it is imperative for European democracy to set up a robust defence mechanism against election interference and AI-powered disinformation campaigns. Make.org, in collaboration with a diverse task force of civil society organisations, introduced the Democratic Shield initiative – a comprehensive set of ten cross-society actions aimed at safeguarding the security and integrity of the upcoming elections.
The democratic processes in Europe face unprecedented threats from malicious influences and the sophisticated use of artificial intelligence and algorithms to spread disinformation. Immediate action is essential to protect the integrity of the democratic system and ensure the forthcoming European elections are conducted freely and fairly.
The Democratic Shield initiative is the result of collaboration among various civil society organisations specialising in democracy and technology. The task force responsible for its development has ensured a multi-disciplinary approach, reflecting the complex challenges posed by contemporary threats to democracy.
The Shield asks for action in three different dimensions:
- addressing institutional actors (European Council Agenda, Reinforcement of quiet period, Promotion of citizen consensus debate),
- calling for stakeholder pledges (Political parties’, media and large influencers’ codes of conduct) and for
- civil society action (Improve civil society resilience to attacks, Trusted Flaggers Support, AI Generated Content Detector, Reference Hub of Candidates’ Voices).
CEE Digital Democracy Watch adds additional dimension to the project with understanding of the depths of the misinformation efforts in the CEE region and experience in monitoring the spending for political advertising.