Political inaction and big tech’s reluctance to protect users leave Australians vulnerable to a murky world of digital misinformation going into the election.
The rise of “dark advertising” — personalized advertisements increasingly powered by artificial intelligence that evade public scrutiny — means Australians face a murky information landscape going into the federal election.
It’s already happening and, combined with Australia’s failure to enact truth-in-advertising legislation and big tech’s backtracking on fact-checking, means voters are left vulnerable to ad-powered misinformation campaigns. And that’s not good for democracy.
Tackling misinformation requires legislative action, international collaboration, and continued pressure on platforms to open their systems to scrutiny. The failures of U.S. tech platforms during their own elections should serve as a clear warning to Australia that industry self-regulation is not an option.
Political advertising plays a pivotal role in shaping elections, even while it is shrouded in opacity and inc
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