Staff Reporter:
The Election Commission (EC) yesterday said it sent a revised draft of Representation of the People Order 1972 (RPO) to the government seeking to discourage use of artificial intelligence (AI) and social media for polls campaign which could violate electoral code of conduct.
Election Commissioner Brigadier General (Retd) Abul Fazal M Sanaullah yesterday said the commission proposed that nothing could done in particular using the AI and social media which might defy the code.
“No activities will be allowed, which will violate the code of conduct by using social media or AI ac-cording to the (proposed) Representation of the People Order 1972 (RPO) amendments,” he told a media briefing at Nirbachon Bhaban at Agargaon.
He, however, acknowledged that the development of the ICT often made it difficult distinguish between contents which were real or AI generated and that was why the EC would like to regulate the system to prevent defiance of the electoral code.
“Many things are there in our mobile phones which are AI,” he said.
Political parties would need to inform the EC in advance detailing the list platforms, they would use in polls campaign.
Sanaullah said that the EC simultaneously proposed the cancellation of an RPO provision that allowed online submission of nomination paper and entrust presiding officers with responsibilities of polling sta-tions.
