Democracy Reporting International

Report March 2025

Submitted
Executive summary 
Democracy Reporting International's (DRI) Digital Democracy Programme Unit focuses on identifying trends in online discourse and online harms during political events and electoral periods across Europe and beyond. Our Digital Democracy team conducts social media monitoring and formulates policy recommendations for various stakeholders in the technology and society ecosystem, including lawmakers, tech platforms, and civil society organizations. 

Key Findings and Actions during the Reporting Period: 

1. Research into Murky Accounts: DRI’s Digital Democracy Programme Unit researched how VLOPs and VLOSEs address tactics like inauthentic accounts, fake followers, and political impersonation. We published eight reports on "Murky Accounts" —accounts of questionable affiliation that present themselves as official government, politician, or party accounts when, in fact, they are not. Murky accounts do not declare themselves as fan or parody pages, and can be interpreted as attempts to promote, amplify, and/or advertise political content.  
We identified the systematic use of Murky Accounts in the 2024 European Parliament, French, and Romanian elections. We recommended that TikTok strengthen policies to prevent fan account abuse, improve enforcement of their policies to identify and address impersonation, require verified badges for political accounts, and enforce consistent guidelines, including pre-election reviews. 

2. Social Media Monitoring (SMM): DRI also conducted detailed analyses of online discourse during the EP Elections in eight member states uncovering instances of toxic speech and disinformation threats targeting historically marginalised groups and the integrity of elections. Our techniques included keyword searches, sentiment analysis, and advanced computational methods to glean a nuanced understanding of online discourse during both electoral periods. 

3. AI System Analysis and Recommendations: DRI continued its monitoring of generative AI risks, particularly from LLM-powered chatbots, through regular audits assessing their impact on elections. While some genAI systems (e.g., Gemini) implemented safeguards, others (e.g., Copilot, ChatGPT-4) still generated misleading electoral information, highlighting the need for consistent safeguards. We also track the use of AI-generated content during the 2024 EP Elections and formulated policy recommendations to address potential misuses. During the reporting period we also published a guide on auditing approaches for LLM risks and a report analysing chatbot alignment with human rights-based pluralism. 

4. Policy Recommendations, Engagement and Advocacy: DRI actively participated in the Rapid Response System under the Code of Conduct on Disinformation, advocating for the robust implementation of the DSA’s risk mitigation framework and data access provisions. We worked directly with platforms to develop strategies for minimising online harms and pushed for greater transparency in content recommendation and moderation practices. Additionally, we engaged with EU stakeholders through roundtables, workshops, and conferences, fostering awareness and action on the DSA and broader digital governance issues. 

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Commitment 16
Relevant Signatories commit to operate channels of exchange between their relevant teams in order to proactively share information about cross-platform influence operations, foreign interference in information space and relevant incidents that emerge on their respective services, with the aim of preventing dissemination and resurgence on other services, in full compliance with privacy legislation and with due consideration for security and human rights risks.
We signed up to the following measures of this commitment
Measure 16.1 Measure 16.2
In line with this commitment, did you deploy new implementation measures (e.g. changes to your terms of service, new tools, new policies, etc)?
If yes, list these implementation measures here
Do you plan to put further implementation measures in place in the next 6 months to substantially improve the maturity of the implementation of this commitment?
If yes, which further implementation measures do you plan to put in place in the next 6 months?
Measure 16.1
Relevant Signatories will share relevant information about cross-platform information manipulation, foreign interference in information space and incidents that emerge on their respective services for instance via a dedicated sub-group of the permanent Task-force or via existing fora for exchanging such information.
QRE 16.1.1
Relevant Signatories will disclose the fora they use for information sharing as well as information about learnings derived from this sharing.
  • All identified TTPs, including murky accounts and ads violating TikTok's community guidelines on political advertising, were flagged under the Rapid Response System of the Code of Conduct on Disinformation. Additionally, in July 2024, we engaged in discussions with TikTok about their policies on impersonation and verified badges for political accounts, fostering collaboration and informing future enforcement measures. 
  • We directly shared our findings with relevant signatories to push for platform improvements. For example, on 30 September we shared with Google our YouTube report on disinformation during the EP Elections, highlighting the platform’s failure to use basic fact-checking tools like information panels and source indicators, despite its commitment to Measure 22.7 of the Code of Practice. 
 
Participating in and establishing fora for sharing information on the tools, tactics, and narratives deployed by disinformation actors is a key facet of DRI’s Digital Democracy work. The following is a list of working groups, webinars, conferences, and roundtables attended during the reporting period, with DRI in the role of either organiser or presenter: 
 
 
  • EP Elections Social Media Monitoring Hub | March – June 2024. In the lead-up to the EP Elections, DRI brought together a team of eight researchers from across the European Union to collaborate on social media monitoring. This group met regularly to discuss major risks and key narratives at the member state level. Each researcher contributed with an in-depth case study analysis. 
 
  • Artificial Intelligence, Democracy and Elections | 21.05.2024. DRI presented at the International Seminar on Artificial Intelligence, Democracy and Elections alongside experts, academics, professionals and leaders to discuss the challenges and opportunities that the intersection between artificial intelligence, democracy and elections represents for the future of global democratic society. 
  • Separating Voice from Noise: Insights from the 2024 EP Elections | 24.06.2024. The 2024 European Parliament elections took place against the backdrop of an evolving EU legal framework designed to address digital threats, though its mechanisms and impacts were still unfolding throughout the campaign period. In the aftermath of the elections, understanding the complexities of these digital battlegrounds became even more critical. Key questions emerged: How did political campaigns evolve online? Which political actors and media outlets shaped public discourse? What role did generative AI play in the electoral process? To explore these pressing issues, we provided comprehensive insights and analysis, examining the influence of digital platforms on election narratives, the spread of disinformation, and the challenges of mitigating hate speech. These findings were further discussed in our post-election webinar, where we unpacked the latest trends and their implications for policymakers, civil society, and digital platforms. 
 
  • Webinar on Innovative Uses of AI by Civil Society in Europe |26.06.2024. On June 26, GLOBSEC hosted an online discussion highlighting the innovative uses of AI by civil society organizations in Europe, exploring tools and technologies from leading tech companies designed to support these initiatives, and addressing the ethical challenges and concerns associated with AI in civil society. DRI attended to share their researching findings. 
 
  • SEEDS Webinar on Joint Lessons from the 2024 EP Elections |24.09.2024. In this webinar, the SEEEDS partners provide insights into the 2024 European Parliament elections based on the findings of civil society organisations and initiate the discussion on the way forward regarding future European electoral reforms and strengthening democratic processes at the EU level. 
 
  • Focus groups with Digital Services Coordinators | 27 September – 02 October 2024. DRI held three focus groups between 27 September and 2 October 2024 with key DSA implementation stakeholders, including 3 CSO representatives, 1 academic, and 8 DSC representatives from 6 small-to-medium member states. We focused on DSA implementation status, challenges DSCs face, their collaboration plans with external stakeholders, particularly CSOs, and citizens' awareness of DSCs and digital rights. 
 
 
  • Expert roundtable: Kick-Off for the Circle of Friends | 07.11.2024. After nine months of DSA enforcement, the DSA Research Network’s Circle of Friends held its inaugural meeting, taking stock of the DSA-related areas in need of further academic research. DRI attended to share their position on emerging topics around the DSA, identify needs for scientific insight and explore different methods to fill those gaps. 
  • Delegated Act Roundtable| 25.11.2024. Following the European Commission's released draft Delegated Act on Data Access, DRI hosted a roundtable for DSA stakeholders. In this roundtable, joined by 23 participants, including European Commission representatives, we presented DRI’s position on the draft and gathered feedback and insights from other CSOs to build a shared understanding of the Delegated Act’s implications for civil society research. This resulted in a joint submission of feedback for the EC. DRI thereby also contributed to policy formulation as lead organisation of this submission of feedback. 
 
  • Distinguindo Vozes de Ruídos: Reflexões sobre as Eleições Municipais de 2024 | 03.12.2024. The 2024 Brazilian municipal elections marked a new phase in online political communication, with AI risks overshadowed by the ongoing spread of disinformation, hate speech, and hostility toward traditional institutions. This webinar, organized by DRI in partnership with FGV Comunicação Rio, FGV Direito Rio, and Agência Lupa, supported by the EU, gathered experts to discuss disinformation, hate speech, online gender-based violence, and the impact of digital platforms on political campaigns and democracy. 
 
  • The GenAI Factor in the 2024 Elections Report Event | 11.12.2024. DRI attended the Kofi Annan Launch event at the European Parliament, sharing key insights from the report with relevant EU stakeholders. 
 
 
  • Are AI Chatbots Reliable? Insights from Tunisia’s 2024 Presidential Race |12.2024. DRI's Tunisia office presented in December their findings from their report into how chatbots answer electoral questions in the country. The Digital Democracy team attended and presented our findings from our earlier audits concerning the European Parliament elections and the importance of testing LLM responses. 
 
  • DRI Media Coverage| 2024. Our research and advocacy efforts garnered significant attention, with our reports and analysis being referenced by leading media outlets such as Politico, Euronews, Forbes, EUobserver, Euractiv, and many more. This media coverage furthers the impact of our work, shaping public discourse and informing key stakeholders—including policymakers, civil society, and the broader public—we continue to drive meaningful conversations on critical issues.