Comelec partners with Twitter to fight misinformation and promote healthy conversations during 2022 PH elections

Social media giant Twitter has partnered with the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to safeguard discourse related to the 2022 Philippine Election.

The partnership seeks to fight misinformation and promote credible and relevant information on the platform. Additionally, according to a press release from Twitter, the move aims to amplify voter education initiatives on the policy, product and partnership front to protect the integrity of election-centric conversations on the platform and encourage healthy debates.

“With a record-breaking 65.7 million registered voters, the Philippines is expected to hold one of the largest elections in Asia. During this most important time for us as a nation, collaboration between governments, industry partners and civic organisations is crucial to protect the integrity of the elections. We are pleased to be partnering with Twitter to fight misinformation and encourage voter participation,” COMELEC spokesperson James Jimenez said according to Twitter’s press release.

To unite people around election conversations on Twitter, the social networking site has launched a series of customized emojis that “aim to be valuable visual links to aid the discoverability of election-related discussions.”

The emojis linked to the 2022 Philippine Election and their availability are as follows:

From March 16: 

- An emoji inspired by the microphone used during debates and the Philippine flag can be activated by the hashtags #PilipinasDebates2022 and #AskPilipinasDebates.

From March 31: 

- Twitter will launch a special emoji for election-related conversation that features a ballot box, a universal symbol for elections, set in front of the Philippine flag, representing Filipinos’ united hope for clean and safe elections. The emoji can be activated by the hashtags #NLE2022, #2022NLE, #BumotoKa, #Halalan2022, #Piniliay2022, #HIJAlalan2022, #PHVote, #PHVoteResults, and #WeDecide.

- Taking inspiration from COMELEC’s Vote S.A.F.E. Pilipinas campaign, an emoji featuring the silhouette of a female, who represents Inang Bayan or the Motherland, will be activated by using the hashtag #VoteSafePilipinas.

These unique emojis are said to run throughout the campaign period and will be available until May 27.

Moreover, the social media platform will introduce search prompts in English and Filipino that redirect users to the websites of COMELEC and VoteSAFEPilipinas to facilitate access to authoritative sources of information on voting. These prompts, which will be in the form of a notification service that connects people to credible information about the elections, will be activated when users search for keywords associated with the Philippine General Election, such as “NLE 2022,” “Vote Philippines,” and “General Election.”

Twitter will also begin labeling misleading Tweets to provide additional context and reduce misleading information’s visibility. Tweets that fall under these may contain the following:

- False or misleading information on participation in the elections and the voting process

- False or misleading information intended to intimidate or dissuade people from participating in the election. For example, falsely stating that polling places are closed

- False or misleading information intended to undermine public confidence in the election

Twitter said it may also remove accounts or content that falsely misrepresent affiliation to a candidate, elected official, political party, electoral authority, or government entity.

Aside from these, Twitter said it also formed an internal elections group to lead its electoral integrity work from now through Election Day, “Using our proprietary-built internal tools, the team will proactively protect Trends on Twitter in the Philippines, support partner escalations, and identify potential threats from malicious actors.” Twitter added, “Cross-functional by design, we have a dedicated and specially trained team, consisting of the company’s top trust and safety experts with local language capabilities and a deep understanding of local contexts. This blend of perspectives, expertise, and backgrounds is absolutely critical in addressing issues that arise from the elections.”

Additionally, to ensure that the platform can be a place for healthy public conversation for the diverse voter base on it, Twitter has also partnered and worked together with the following partner organizations:

- #FactsFirstPH (@FactsFirstPH)

- Foundation for Media Alternatives (@FMA_PH)

- GMA News (@gmanews)

- Legal Network for Truthful Elections (@lente_ph)

- National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (@NAMFREL)

- National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (@NUJP), and

- Plan International Philippines (@planphilippines), coordinator of #HIJAlalan2022 - an initiative of girls’ rights groups in the Philippines forwarding a girls’ electoral agenda.

“Twitter is where important election-related conversations are taking place,” Twitter explained. “Together with COMELEC, non-profit organizations, and other trusted partners on the ground; we continue to harness the power of the #OpenInternet to strengthen civic dialogue and encourage quality participation during this important Philippine General Election.”

Source:

Safeguarding public conversation during the 2022 Philippine Election - Twitter