New dynamics, new rules: digital electoral propaganda and its regulatory framework in a comparative perspective

Abstract

Advances in new technologies and the unbridled expansion of information in digital media have produced broad challenges for Democracies. Regarding the issue of electoral propaganda in digital media, these innovations enable sophisticated campaign strategies based on large volumes of data, capable of manipulating the will of citizens and changing electoral scenarios. The objective of this article is to map the dynamics that make up this campaign strategy in comparison with the regulatory framework in six states and the European bloc, namely: Brazil, Chile, Mexico, India, Canada, the United Kingdom and the European Union. To this end, we described each country’s mechanisms for overcoming four challenges identified in our theoretical framework: the definition of digital advertising; the imposition of responsibilities on digital platforms; transparency rules regarding the financing and segmentation of advertising messages and supervisory bodies. In the results, it is observed that there are no robust campaign transparency and accountability rules that provide unequivocal information about the extent and scale of personal data used in digital advertising strategies. It is believed that this article contributes to strengthening the fruitful research agenda on the phenomenon and expanding debates about its regulatory framework.