As the world gears up for a series of critical elections over the next 14 months, Microsoft is taking proactive steps to protect the integrity of electoral processes from foreign malign influence. In a new threat intelligence assessment, Microsoft highlights the potential threats posed by authoritarian nation states and their use of technology, including AI, to interfere with elections. To counter these threats, Microsoft is launching a set of principles and initiatives aimed at safeguarding the electoral process.
The challenge of protecting elections in the digital age
*In the age of digital transformation, elections are not immune to the influence of technology. The use of AI and other advanced tools by authoritarian states to manipulate and interfere with electoral systems poses a significant challenge to the democratic process.
Microsoft’s commitment to election protection principles
Microsoft is grounding its election protection efforts in a set of guiding principles designed to ensure the fairness and security of elections. These principles include transparency for voters, protection for candidates and campaigns, cybersecurity for political campaigns, and support for election authorities.
Step 1: Content credentials as a service
To empower candidates and campaigns to maintain control over their content and combat misinformation, Microsoft is launching “Content Credentials as a Service.” This tool allows users to digitally sign and authenticate media using the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity’s (C2PA) digital watermarking credentials. These credentials encode details about the content’s origin and history, providing transparency and authenticity. This service will be made available in the spring as a private preview, initially for political campaigns.
Step 2: Campaign success team
Microsoft is forming a “Campaign Success Team” within Microsoft Philanthropies’ Tech for Social Impact organization. This team will offer guidance and support to political campaigns as they navigate the challenges of AI and cybersecurity. It will also promote existing cyber protection programs, such as M365 for Campaigns and AccountGuard.
Step 3: Election communications hub
Microsoft is creating an “Election Communications Hub” to assist democratic governments worldwide in building secure and resilient election processes. This hub will provide election authorities with access to Microsoft security and support teams leading up to their elections, ensuring swift support for security challenges.*
Step 4: Supporting legislative and legal change
Microsoft will advocate for legislative and legal changes to protect campaigns and electoral processes from the misuse of technology, including deepfakes. The company endorses the “Protect Elections from Deceptive AI Act” in the United States, which aims to prohibit the use of AI to generate materially deceptive content in political ads.
Step 5: Empowering voters with authoritative information
Bing, Microsoft’s search engine, will partner with organizations that provide authoritative election information to ensure that users receive trustworthy election-related search results. Collaborations with organizations like the National Association of State Election Directors (NASED) and Reporters Without Borders will promote reputable sources of news and information.
Collective efforts for free and fair elections
Microsoft acknowledges that safeguarding elections is a collective effort, and no single entity can guarantee their fairness and integrity. By uniting governments, technology companies, the business community, and civil society, meaningful progress can be made in upholding everyone’s right to free and fair elections.
As elections play a pivotal role in shaping the world’s democracies, Microsoft’s commitment to protecting electoral processes through these principles and initiatives underscores the importance of safeguarding this fundamental aspect of democratic governance. By embracing technology while addressing its vulnerabilities, the global community can work together to preserve the integrity of elections in an increasingly digital age.
