This panel is designed to foster a deep and critical debate on the challenges that digital political advertising poses to modern democracies. It aims to significantly contribute to the analysis of regulatory frameworks and technological solutions, which are crucial in protecting electoral integrity and strengthening democracy in the digital age.
Six years after the Cambridge Analytica scandal, digital political advertising remains a significant challenge for democracies worldwide. Despite regulatory attempts in various countries and ongoing discussions in others, concerns about transparency, electoral manipulation, and the integrity of democratic processes persist. The papers will address some critical aspects of this challenge: a) Effectiveness of Regulations by focusing on the various regulations proposed or implemented in different countries to address the challenges of digital political advertising. ¿How can the effectiveness of these measures be evaluated? ¿Is it possible or desirable to establish a global regulatory framework due to the differing political and legal contexts of each country? ¿What are the different kinds of monitoring political ads? b) Solutions from Digital Platforms, the solutions that major digital platform companies have designed to enhance transparency and electoral integrity, such as political ad archives and tools for verifying information authenticity, must be discussed, along with their effectiveness and limitations. ¿Can we say that those solutions have improved electoral integrity?
By addressing these complex aspects of electoral campaigning and platforms, the panel will contribute to building evidence for digital democracy challenges.