Freedom House is piloting a new research initiative to investigate the interplay between digital platforms and election integrity. Recent events have confirmed that the internet can be used to disrupt democracies as surely as it can destabilize dictatorships. Election Watch for the Digital Age equips technology companies, civil society organizations, and policymakers with a data-driven resource for evaluating the human rights impact of internet platforms on a country’s electoral process.

Freedom House has created a new Election Vulnerability Index consisting of key election-related indicators regarding a country’s political rights and internet freedom. Derived from Freedom House’s annual Freedom in the World and Freedom on the Net reports, the data and accompanying analysis allows users to identify specific areas of concern ahead of a country’s election, including online influence operations, internet shutdowns, or intercommunal tensions fanned by social media.

Working with experts around the world, Freedom House will also document threats to human rights and election integrity in the months leading up to key votes. The research will be used to better understand the interplay between internet platforms and democracy amid an unprecedented rise in digital election interference.

Link to project

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