In October, voters in Slovakia were surprised to hear a recording on Facebook of an interview between a journalist and Michal Šimečka, one of the leading political party officials involved in an election less than two days away.
Wired.com reports that on the recording, which seemed to clearly feature the voices of the people involved, Šimečka discussed ways he intended to rig the election.
Šimečka and the journalist said the interview never happened. It was faked audio made possible by artificial intelligence.
But the denials may not have been enough, especially on the eve of the election.
Šimečka represented a pro-NATO party, which ended up losing narrowly to a party that campaigned on ending support for Ukraine in its war with Russia.
As Americans gear up for what promises to be a nasty 2024 presidential election, experts are warning that Slovakia may be a sign of things to come here.
Artificial intelligence and free elections don’t mix, and the threats don’t always have to come from foreign adversaries.
Reuters reported last June that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign apparently created fake photos showing former President Donald Trump hugging former chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci and, in a separate photo, kissing him on the nose. The images were interspersed with actual video and audio of Trump explaining why he didn’t fire Fauci, who was a lightning rod for conservative ire during the COVID-19 pandemic.
DeSantis’ supporters countered that Trump’s camp had also posted fake pictures of DeSantis, although Reuters noted these seem to have been confined to obvious fakes, such as one of DeSantis riding a rhinoceros.
But the Slovakian fake audio came during a 48-hour preelection blackout period for media and politicians, making it difficult to debunk.
Writing for the Brennan Center for Justice, Daniel I. Weiner and Lawrence Norden note that several states and members of Congress are working on laws to deter and punish this sort of manipulation. But they warn it won’t be easy in a nation where First Amendment rights protect free expression.
Truth can be manipulated legitimately, “such as the creation of satire or other forms of commentary or art,” they write. “U.S. law specifies that even outright deception with no redeeming artistic or other licit purpose, while typically entitled to less constitutional protection, cannot be prohibited simply for its own sake.”
They argue that effective laws must target paid campaign ads and other widely distributed communications, and should exempt parody, news reports and other types of protected speech. New laws could require transparency — labeling materials as fake — or could outright ban certain types of faked media.
But would they be enough, and would they be effective?
Writing for Foreign Affairs last week, Jen Easterly, Scott Schwab and Cait Conley said the American election system, spread among thousands of individual counties, is resilient because of its dedicated local and state officials.
“Indeed, election officials frequently highlight that the only constant in election administration is to expect the unexpected,” they wrote. “Natural-born crisis managers, they are practiced in the art of adapting to any situation and finding creative solutions.”
In recent years, they have implemented effective security measures. They also cooperate and share information with each other and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
And yet, these election workers have been under intense pressure following the false allegations of widespread election fraud in 2020, and many of them have quit.
Also, laws may have difficulty reaching people who create and send false videos and recordings from foreign lands. And social media platforms may have trouble certifying posts as false and misleading in a timely manner.
Easterly, Schwab and Conley said the private sector, the media and voters all must play a part in countering this threat.
“Election security should not be a matter of politics or partisanship but rather preserving the integrity of the country’s most sacred democratic process,” they write.
All true, and none terribly comforting. In a year when foreign enemies are at least as motivated to influence elections as the candidates themselves, public awareness and skepticism will be needed as never before. But this coincides with a time when people seem less informed than at any time in recent memory.
Maybe a major U.S. candidate talking about rigging elections would be too easy to identify as a fake, but I wouldn’t bet on it.