PRETORIA – The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has moved to fortify the integrity of the upcoming Local Government Elections by formalising a partnership with some of the world’s most powerful digital platforms. Google, Meta, Microsoft, TikTok and Moxii Africa are expected to sign a cooperation agreement designed to tackle disinformation and prevent fake news from distorting the electoral process. The announcement comes ahead of the 4 November poll, a crucial test for South Africa’s democracy, and reflects growing recognition that online spaces have become primary arenas for political communication. With millions of voters expected to rely on social media and search engines for election news, the IEC has acknowledged that traditional safeguards alone are no longer sufficient. The partnership commits technology companies to a set of voluntary measures aimed at protecting the credibility of the election, reducing the spread of harmful content and ensuring that voters have access to accurate information. It also signals an important shift in how electoral authorities view the role of big tech: not merely as neutral hosts, but as active stakeholders with a responsibility to safeguard democratic processes. The agreement is being framed as a proactive response to the rise of digital misinformation, heightened political polarisation and the increasing sophistication of AI-generated content, which can be used to fabricate statements, manipulate images and create false narratives. By bringing together public interest groups and technology giants, the IEC hopes to create a more resilient information ecosystem in the run-up to the elections. The partnership’s precise mechanisms are still being finalised, but the broad objectives are clear: to monitor and mitigate disinformation, to elevate authoritative sources, and to build public confidence in the electoral system.
Google representative Sipho Mtombeni said that, as voters increasingly turn to online platforms to access election information, technology companies have a responsibility to help ensure they receive reliable, high-quality content. Speaking at the announcement in Pretoria, Mtombeni emphasised that this responsibility extends beyond simply removing false posts or banning malicious accounts. “This includes connecting users with trustworthy information while providing strong protection and security for election campaigns and officials,” he said. Google has made significant investments in election integrity, including content moderation systems, threat analysis and partnerships with fact-checking organisations. Mtombeni also highlighted growing concerns about artificial intelligence-generated content. The rise of generative AI has made it easier than ever to create convincing but false videos, images and audio clips, a development that poses a serious challenge to electoral integrity. Google is working to help users distinguish between authentic and AI-generated material through a tool called SynthID, which embeds an imperceptible watermark into AI-generated images and audio. This technology allows people to identify synthetic content and assess its credibility. “We want to ensure that when people encounter media online, they have the tools to know whether it is real or artificially created,” Mtombeni said. The company has also committed to providing transparent information about election processes, including voting times, polling station locations and candidate lists. By directing users to authoritative sources such as the IEC’s official website, Google aims to reduce the visibility of misleading election-related searches. The involvement of Google is considered particularly important given the dominant role of its search engine and YouTube platform in shaping online discourse. While the commitments are voluntary, Mtombeni signalled that Google treats them as binding obligations, and that the company is prepared to adapt its systems as new threats emerge. The focus on AI highlights a broader concern: as technology evolves, so too do the methods used by those seeking to manipulate public opinion.
Meta representative Thabo Makenete said the company had several measures in place to protect election integrity, including transparency initiatives, efforts to combat misinformation and fact-checking partnerships. “As the framework is voluntary, we still take it very seriously that we have to live up to the requirements of ensuring that the elections are safe, to ensure that people, when they engage on our platforms, they have to not spread misinformation,” Makenete said. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has a complicated history with election misinformation. In previous elections around the world, its platforms have been used to amplify false narratives, stoke ethnic tensions and suppress voter participation. In South Africa, where WhatsApp is a primary channel for political communication, the challenge is particularly acute. Makenete pointed to the company’s fact-checking partnerships, which allow independent third-party organisations to review potentially false content and label it accordingly. These labels can reduce the reach of posts, provide additional context and alert users before they share dubious material. Meta also operates transparent advertising libraries, allowing users and regulators to see who is paying for political ads and how those ads are targeted. This transparency is critical to exposing coordinated disinformation campaigns and foreign interference. Makenete acknowledged that no single company can solve the problem alone. “We have to work with the IEC, with civil society and with other platforms to create a safe environment,” he said. The voluntary nature of the framework is a double-edged sword: while it demonstrates good faith on the part of technology companies, it also raises questions about accountability. Without statutory enforcement, there is a risk that commitments remain aspirational. Nevertheless, Makenete insisted that Meta’s participation in the IEC’s cooperation framework is a serious undertaking. The company has deployed significant resources to election integrity in South Africa, and it stands ready to respond to emerging threats. He also noted the importance of media literacy, saying that empowering users to critically evaluate content is just as important as removing harmful posts. By combining technical measures with human oversight, Meta hopes to reduce the impact of disinformation on the electoral process.
Moxii Africa director William Bird said threats to election integrity extended beyond misinformation, pointing to individuals, entities and groups he claimed were seeking to undermine democracy and the electoral process. “And these are very serious things,” Bird said, commending the technology companies participating in the IEC’s cooperation framework to tackle disinformation and protect the integrity of the polls. Bird’s comments reflect a growing concern among electoral officials that disinformation is often part of a broader effort to destabilise democracy. False narratives can be weaponised to cast doubt on the accuracy of voter rolls, undermine confidence in ballot counting and delegitimise election results. In extreme cases, online falsehoods have been linked to violence at polling stations and threats against electoral workers. Bird’s organisation, Moxii Africa, is focused on monitoring and analysing digital threats, and its involvement in the agreement adds an important civil society perspective. The cooperation framework is not only about responding to posts that are factually incorrect; it is also about identifying coordinated campaigns, foreign interference and domestic actors who seek to manipulate public opinion for political ends. Bird praised the participating technology companies for acknowledging their responsibility, but he also warned that the threat landscape is constantly changing. Bad actors are using increasingly sophisticated techniques, including fake accounts, encrypted message groups and AI-generated avatars, to evade detection. The line between legitimate political speech and malicious manipulation is often blurred, making it difficult for platforms to take action without risking overreach. “We need to be attentive, we need to be vigilant, and we need to understand that this is not just about misinformation—it is about the stability of our democracy,” Bird said. His remarks underscore the need for a multi-stakeholder approach, involving not just technology companies but also the IEC, the government, civil society and the media. The agreement with technology companies is a step forward, but it is not a silver bullet. Continuous monitoring, public reporting and adaptation to new threats will be essential in the weeks remaining before the election.
The timing of the agreement is significant. South Africa’s Local Government Elections take place against a backdrop of political tension, economic hardship and widespread dissatisfaction with service delivery. Local government is the sphere of government closest to citizens, responsible for water, electricity, sanitation and housing. It is also a space where fiercely contested ward races can be decided by narrow margins. This makes the elections particularly vulnerable to disinformation, as false stories about candidates, parties or electoral processes can easily sway voters. The IEC has also faced its own challenges in preparing for the poll. The Electoral Court and the Constitutional Court have been embroiled in disputes over candidate lists, leading to a reprinting of ballots and a postponement of the election date to 4 November. Such legal and administrative delays create fertile ground for rumours and conspiracy theories. Opponents of the electoral system may seize on these complications to claim that the election is being manipulated, even when the courts are simply fulfilling their constitutional role. The partnership with technology companies is therefore part of a broader strategy to protect the integrity of the process. The IEC has already launched voter education campaigns, engaged with political parties and appealed to the public to reject disinformation. But the online environment remains difficult to control. Social media allows unverified claims to reach thousands of users within minutes, often before fact-checkers or journalists can respond. The cooperation agreement seeks to close this gap by enabling faster detection and response, promoting official sources and limiting the reach of harmful content. It also aims to protect candidates and election officials from online harassment and malicious impersonation, which can intimidate participants and distort the democratic process. In this environment, the role of technology companies is not just technical but ethical. They control the infrastructure of public discourse and therefore bear a responsibility to ensure that it is not weaponised against democracy.
As the 4 November elections draw closer, the success of the cooperation agreement will depend on implementation and trust. Technology companies must translate their commitments into visible action, including rapid takedowns of malicious content, clear disclosures of political advertising and transparent responses to user complaints. The IEC, for its part, must maintain an open channel of communication with platforms, sharing information about emerging threats and providing authoritative content that can be promoted. Civil society organisations, including fact-checking bodies and media monitors, will be crucial in holding all parties accountable. The agreement also highlights the need for greater investment in media and information literacy. Voters are the first line of defence against disinformation. If citizens are equipped with critical thinking skills, they are less likely to be manipulated by false stories, manipulated images or AI-generated fake videos. Schools, community groups and religious institutions all have a role to play in fostering a culture of verification. The partnership between the IEC and technology companies is a recognition that the battle for the integrity of elections is no longer fought only at voting stations; it is fought on screens, in group chats and in comment sections. It is a battle for the very foundations of democratic legitimacy. There are no easy solutions, but the agreement announced in Pretoria is an important step in the right direction. It brings together some of the most powerful actors in the digital world with the guardians of South Africa’s electoral process. It acknowledges that technology is neither inherently good nor inherently bad—it depends on how it is used. By committing to cooperation, the participants are choosing to use their power and influence to protect democracy rather than undermine it. The weeks ahead will reveal whether those commitments can withstand the pressure of a heated election campaign. For now, the message from the IEC is clear: the integrity of the polls is a collective responsibility, and it is one that technology companies are finally willing to share.