CSA initiates measures to curtail fake news in 2024 election

The Cyber Security Authority (CSA) has initiated moves to engage social media platforms such as Facebook, X formerly Twitter and Whatsapp to detect misinformation and false propaganda to prevent them from going viral during the 2024 electioneering.

The move is to stop the deployment of campaigns of misinformation powered by Artificial Intelligence to influence voters. The Director-General of the CSA, Dr Albert Antwi-Boasiako, disclosed this to the media at a symposium on sector collaboration and information sharing among computer emergency response teams.

Held in Accra, it was organised by the CSA and the United States Department of States' Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy and Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University.

It was attended by Cyber security experts from 11 West African Countries including Ghana, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Liberia, Nigeria, Cape Verde, Togo, Mauritania and Senegal.

Electoral misinformation

Dr Antwi-Boasiako said the CSA anticipated the use of AI to spread fake news, false propaganda and misinformation during the elections and as a result, the entity was engaging technology providers who also had the technology to detect and prevent misinformation.

He said not everything shared on social media was factual or legitimate and advised Ghanaians to build their capacity through the various awareness campaigns of the CSA and not be swayed by electoral misinformation.

Media

Dr Antwi-Boasiako acknowledged the fact that there was a low rate of cybersecurity awareness in the country, a situation which had allowed fraud to flourish and added that the most effective way to stop fraud and online crime was creating awareness.

He laid emphasis on the role of the media to address the problem of misinformation in the run-up to the elections and said the CSA considered that a top priority.

Cyber fraud

Turning the spotlight on cyber fraud last year, Dr Antwi-Boasiako said GH¢60 million was lost  through the nefarious activity and added that such losses made it imperative to build the knowledge and skills of state and non-state actors and the infrastructure needed to safeguard digital infrastructure.

He said the CSA had developed the regulatory interventions and was collaborating with financial and telecommunications institutions to detect and prevent fraud.