Google’s efforts are particularly focused on connecting people to reliable and trustworthy information. As the election season unfolds, voters will be actively seeking information about candidates, voting locations, and campaign agendas.
Google has implemented several strategies to facilitate this:
Google Search surfaces high-quality, authoritative information. Searches for topics like “how to vote” will yield information about ID requirements, voting stations, and more, linking to authoritative sources such as the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC).
YouTube serves as a platform for voters to access news and information from a diverse set of authoritative news sources. Election-related content is prominently surfaced in search results, the homepage, and the “watch next” panel.
Simultaneously, human reviewers and machine learning technology work together to detect, review, and remove content that violates Google’s policies.
Google Ads supports responsible and transparent political advertising. All advertisers wishing to run election ads in South Africa must complete an identity verification process and display an in-ad disclosure that clearly shows who paid for the ad. Targeting of election ads is limited to general categories such as age, gender, and location (postal code level).
All election ads are published in Google’s Political Ads Transparency Report, where anyone can look up information such as expenditure and impressions received.
Google not only provides voters with accurate and timely information but also aids high-risk individuals, such as campaign and election officials, in enhancing their security. It educates them on utilising online products and services for voter engagement and digital presence management.
Free services include the Advanced Protection Program, offering robust cyber defences, and Project Shield, which delivers unlimited Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack protection.
Working with the IEC, the search giant has educated political party representatives on election integrity efforts, encompassing product policies, advised security measures, and procedures for reporting and eliminating harmful and illicit content.
Google is also dedicated to maintaining access to trustworthy information online during the election period in South Africa
The company continues to enhance its enforcement systems and work with the wider ecosystem in the fight against misinformation.
Long-standing policies guide the company's approach to areas like manipulated media, hate and harassment, and incitement to violence, along with policies around demonstrably false claims that could undermine trust or participation in democratic processes.
