Democratic electoral systems around the world are facing ever greater threats of interference enabled by digital technologies that can be used to mislead voters in powerful ways. UCalgary experts examine how collection of voter data, micro-targeting, artificial intelligence and deepfake technologies are being used to influence election outcomes, as well as possible regulatory solutions for safeguarding Canada’s electoral system in the future. Watch the full webinar recording at https://explore.ucalgary.ca/elections-digital-age

1. Elections in the digital age
Dr. Hadi Hemmati, PhD
Assistant Professor, Schulich School of Engineering
Dr. Lisa Young, PhD
Professor, Faculty of Arts/School of Public Policy
June 26, 2019

2. • Assistant Professor of
Electrical and Computer
Engineering, Schulich School
of Engineering
• Research areas: automated
software engineering, data
science, applied machine
learning
• Email @
hadi.hemmati@ucalgary.ca
Dr. Hadi Hemmati, PhD
2

3. • Professor of Political Science,
Faculty of Arts
• Former Dean of Graduate
Studies
• Research focus: political
parties, election finances,
women’s participation in
political life
• Email @ youngl@ucalgary.ca
Dr. Lisa Young, PhD
3

4. What this talk will cover?
4
• How have digital technologies changed elections?
• Digital campaigns
• Targeting voters by using data
• Digital distribution of campaign ads
• Social media platforms
• What can we do?
• Technology companies
• Citizens/voters
• Political parties & candidates
• Government

5. Elections in the age of social media
https://visual.ly/community/infographic/politics/social-media-elections
https://www.macleans.ca/politics/ottawa/marketing-justin-trudeau/

6. The dark side of social media
www.thedrum.com
Privacy
and Trust
Algorithmic
Bias
Bots and
Disinformation
www.wikipedia.com
www.google.com

7. Privacy and trust in social media
[https://www.globaldatinginsights.com/news/liftoffs-new-product-creates-personalised-ads-quickly-and-effectively/]
How do personalized ads work?

8. Privacy and trust in social media:
https://analyticsdemystified.com/general/cookies-demystified/
Cookies in web analytics

9. Microtargeting in action
9
Image: Reddit/McFishington, on
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/zm5z95/xbox-piloted-conservative-political-ad-for-doug-ford

10. An ad for Hadi An ad for Lisa
Microtargeting: An example
10
Invest now in our future
Delivering home care
to seniors

11. Algorithm Bias

12. The Inherent Problems of Social Media

13. The Rise of Social Bots
13
COMMUNICATIONS OF THE ACM | JULY 2016 | VOL. 59 | NO. 7

14. How bots are used to affect, and possibly
manipulate, the online debate?
14
Example:
Recent California law
on vaccination
requirements and
exemptions(#SB277).
COMMUNICATIONS OF THE ACM | JULY 2016 | VOL. 59 | NO. 7

15. Bots that amplify trolls’ divisive messages
15

16. Not all bots are bad!
16

17. Fake News:
From misinformation to disinformation!

18. What Can We Do?
• Technology companies
• Citizens/voters
• Political parties & candidates
• Government

19. What can tech companies do?

20. What can voters do?
20
• Be skeptical
• Rely on established media sources
• Ask ‘why am I seeing this’?
• Don’t spread fake news
• Get out of your bubble

21. What can parties & candidates do?
21

22. What can governments do?
22

23. Don’t forget the positive side!