Elections Canada suggests voter contact registry for ‘bot’ users on social media
OTTAWA — A discussion paper prepared for Elections Canada suggests the use of “bots” on social media to spread disinformation, amplify political messages or disparage others could be monitored and regulated in the same way as automated phone messages during federal campaigns.
Since the robocall vote suppression scandal in the 2011 campaign — in which thousands of voters complained they’d received live and automated phone calls purportedly from Elections Canada officials who directed them to the wrong polling stations — anyone using a call service provider to contact voters is required to register with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.
Failure to comply is punishable by a fine of $1,500 up to $15,000.
One junior Conservative staffer was eventually found guilty of violating the Canada Elections Act for his part in the use of misleading robocalls in Guelph, Ont., during the 2011 campaign.