Work with social media and tech platforms to identify and label or remove harmful AI-generated content.
Organize civil society pressure and collaboration with major platforms so election deepfakes are labeled, throttled, or removed quickly when they spread. Focus on getting policies off paper and into consistent enforcement—across the major conduits named here—while acknowledging that voluntary rules are uneven and need to complement enforceable state standards.
Why this works
- The major conduits for deepfakes are online platforms (Facebook, Twitter/X, YouTube, TikTok).
- If they implement strict policies – e.g.
- automatically labeling AI-generated media or banning certain deepfakes – it can achieve much of the regulatory goal quickly.
- Civil society can pressure platforms (and indeed Google’s ad policy change shows they’re responsive to public pressure and fear of regulation).
- This strategy can also involve developing better deepfake detection tools in partnership with platforms and deploying them widely.
Common Cause
AdvocacyBuilding a stronger democracy and accountable government
Mechanism
About GrassrootsHow Common Cause uses funding
- Recruit and align a coalition around specific platform policy asks and accountability expectations.
- Plan actions and outreach that target platform decision-makers and key enforcement moments.
- Sustain momentum with a predictable cadence of updates, pressure, and coordination across partners.
- Build coalitions with election officials, watchdogs, and media so reports and debunks travel quickly.
- Convert pressure into outcomes: policy changes, enforcement commitments, and usable rapid-response channels.
Milestones
Checkpoints and the expected timing for each step
- 1
Coalition + platform asks aligned
0–30 daysA shared ask list and escalation process are agreed across partners.
- 2
Outreach and pressure campaign launched
1–3 monthsPlatform meetings and coordinated public pressure are in motion.
- 3
Policy and enforcement changes secured
3–6 monthsPlatforms announce updates and implement enforcement workflows tied to elections.
- 4
Transparency and gap tracking sustained
OngoingPublic reporting shows what changed and where enforcement still fails.