Once political campaigning for a general election, tentatively set for November, kicks off, social media will likely become an even more powerful tool, not just for vote canvassing but also manipulation.
The Election Commission (EC) will face the unenviable task of regulating campaigning on social media to ensure transparency and fairness. At the same time, it must avoid setting rules which could compromise free speech.
With users of Facebook in Thailand standing at 47 million, Line at 41 million, Instagram at 11 million and Twitter at 9 million, social media has revolutionised the way Thais communicate about almost everything, including politics. Politicians and opinion makers have capitalised on the platforms to influence people's opinions.
Drafters of a bill governing elections of MPs are well aware of the trend and have included a broad provision regulating electoral campaigning on social media.
Now pending scrutiny by the National Legislative Assembly (NLA), the bill requires that election candidates register for vote canvassing on electronic and social media, and specify the identities and platforms they intend to use for canvassing votes.
Candidates will also have to stop posting or re-posting messages three days ahead of the election date. Lawmakers said the next level of this job will be handled by the EC which will have to issue subsequent regulations and directives.
The move is timely. But the bill on this matter needs to be more comprehensive by covering other necessary aspects including the disclosure of anonymous ad placements and social media campaign expenditure.
In many parts of the world, there are claims that social media platforms have become an increasingly powerful means to canvass votes or manipulate how people vote through social media ad placements. These have prompted similar legislative efforts in countries like the US, where its 2016 presidential election was plagued with allegations of Russian meddling, and the UK where there were some accusations of foreign social media influence in its Brexit vote.
For Thailand and its long-awaited upcoming general election, the poll agency faces an uphill task in providing clear regulations and directives that election candidates and political parties must follow.
More importantly, the EC needs to walk a fine line in its rule setting, ensuring that its main mission is to guarantee transparency in campaigning, not censorship.
First and foremost, candidates and political parties should be required to reveal their spending on social media campaigns, including the hiring of content production teams and advertising. This is to ensure that their expenditure will not exceed the permitted limit.
Beyond using candidates' own identities and social media platforms for vote canvassing, anonymous online political advertising through ad placements is another tactic that should not be overlooked. Ads targeting interests of particular Facebook users, for example, may feature messages on issues highlighted in favour of or biased against certain political parties without naming who placed the adverts.
Requiring candidates and parties to disclose whether they buy social media ads and where their placements are will make the process more transparent. The EC should also consider imposing a regulation that some form of watermark is placed on all advertising material so voters know who is trying to influence them.
But the increase in regulations should not mean curbs on free speech, especially among members of the public, or imposing other unnecessary burdens on candidates.
Digital platforms will provide opportunities for candidates, especially those from small parties with limited funding, to reach out to voters in a less costly way. They will also provide interactive platforms for voters to debate policies of political parties and scrutinise candidates.
The EC should incorporate input from the public and stakeholders in setting its regulations for the digital front of election campaigning. This will ensure the rules promote a fair and transparent election and not create confusion.
