With the federal election due before May 17, the Election Integrity Assurance Taskforce (EIAT) has warned that four threat vectors may impact the poll: foreign interference, physical security, cyber security, and misinformation and disinformation.
It says some foreign powers are interested in “impacting the real or perceived legitimacy of results,” while others seek to “undermine the concept of democracy itself.” They may do this by targeting candidates directly or spreading misinformation and disinformation to voters.
While attempts to interfere in the democratic processes are common, it says “successful interference is not,” and as a result Australia’s elections remain “free and fair.”
But it warns that “individuals or groups engaging in these actions—and those assisting them—are often difficult to identify, and their links to foreign powers may not be immediately apparent.”
Deepfakes May be Deployed
In particular, the rising use of artificial intelligence (AI) to generate fake images, audio, and videos will require Australians to “think deeply about what they are reading, hearing and watching, and to stop and consider the source of information.”This year, the Australian Electoral Commission will again provide voters with resources, including its digital media literacy campaign, Stop and Consider.
Physical security is also of increasing concern, the report says.
“Over the past few years, large-scale anti-government protests have emerged globally, motivated by a range of political, economic, and social factors. Domestically, anti-government rhetoric and threats (online, targeted or opportunistic) towards federal parliamentarians and government figureheads have significantly increased since 2021.
“The AFP has seen an escalation of criminal activities targeting federal parliamentarians, which includes damage to federal electorate offices, threats and intimidation. The ability of parliamentarians to discharge their duties without fear of harm underpins Australian democracy,” it says.
In some cases, that may include terrorism.
“Australia is witnessing an increase in anti-government and anti-authority extremism, and the use of emerging technologies to enable, produce, disseminate and amplify messages of hate and violence at an unprecedented scale and pace,” the EIAT notes, describing the security environment as “complex, challenging, and changing.”
While there was no evidence of interference, either domestically or internationally, in the previous election in 2022, high-profile MPs have faced a rising number of threats in the recent term of parliament. The number of federal police reports against elected officials almost doubled in the past year.
“Challenges to social cohesion and wider acceptance of conspiracy theories can create an incubating environment for grievance to develop,” the Taskforce says, “but it remains important that the process of elections not become the target for these grievances.”
