Azra Hoosen | ah@radioislam.co.za
20 March 2024 | 14:30 CAT
2 min read

In an era where information flows freely across digital platforms, the spectre of disinformation looms large, casting a shadow over the integrity of democratic processes. As the countdown to the upcoming elections begins, concerns mount over the insidious threat posed by fake news and misinformation.

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) recently convened a media briefing to address these pressing issues. Against the backdrop of mounting apprehension, the CSIR’s research group leader in cybersecurity delivered a stark warning: the use of disinformation poses a grave threat to the electoral process, capable of distorting public opinion and potentially swaying the outcome of the election.

Dr Zubeida Dawood, CSIR Research group leader in Information and Cybersecurity, told Radio Islam that the group is looking at ways to combat disinformation in its research efforts.

Dawod announced that CSIR has developed a human-centric framework to detect fake news that will soon be available to the public.

“To this end, we are proposing a human-centric framework because we recognise that technological tools are good aids in helping to combat this, but in the South African sense, taking into account the demographics of rural and disadvantaged people, we have put together tips and tricks, and this will continue to be updated in this framework,” she said.

She emphasised the importance of verifying sources, cross-referencing with other sources, and researching the author. She also urged tech-savvy individuals to help combat disinformation targeted at the elderly.

Dawood believes that in South Africa, we are mature enough to recognise the line between freedom of speech and harmful intent.

“South African government institutes and researchers strike a good balance in tackling these problems and ensuring people don’t abuse freedom of speech to do harmful things, as we saw during the COVID-19 pandemic when there was a lot of disinformation,” she added.

According to Dawood, the CSIR has a Cybersecurity Learning Factory project. This project is designed to train IEC individuals in ethical hacking and network security. She stated that this training will better equip them to be more reactive in times of crisis, such as during elections. By increasing their knowledge and skills, they will be better able to safeguard people’s data and ensure that the elections are free and fair.

LISTEN to the full interview with Ml Junaid Kharsany and Dr Zubeida Dawood, CSIR research group leader, here.