With Ghana’s 2024 elections around the corner, Kwaku Krobea Asante, Team Lead at Fact-Check Ghana, is urging social media platforms to step up their efforts against disinformation and misinformation.
Speaking on ABC in the Morning on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, Asante emphasized that these platforms must recognize their profound influence on public perception and the quality of life.
“Social media is almost like the alternate world we live in now,” he stated.
“Their admission of the role they play is extremely crucial to the decency of life, quality of life, and human dignity across many levels.”
Asante advocates for a nuanced approach to countering misleading information on social media, especially in Ghana.
According to him, existing measures are largely inadequate, allowing false information to spread unchecked.
“Means of verification on various platforms, especially in Ghana, has been very low. So almost everything goes,” he noted.
He added that while platforms rely heavily on algorithms, these mechanisms alone are insufficient in addressing the nuanced ways in which misinformation and disinformation infiltrate digital spaces.
The discrepancies in preparedness between African and Western countries were another focal point of Asante’s concerns. With American elections taking place, he observed a stark contrast in the level of seriousness given to disinformation controls compared to African contexts.
“America is going to the polls today and tomorrow, and if you see the preparedness that Meta and X are putting in place, you will be marveled. But Ghana’s election is a month away, and you don’t see any preparation towards that,” Asante lamented.
He called on social media platforms to address this disparity and give equal attention to safeguarding African elections.
As misinformation threatens to escalate political tensions, efforts to moderate digital content have gained urgency.
Recent developments, such as the National Media Commission’s announcement of a media watch app, underscore the significance of combating disinformation as the elections draw near.
The stakes are high, and with the government’s National Action Plan from 2023 still in early stages, the role of social media giants remains pivotal in safeguarding the integrity of information during this crucial period.
