Tottori Election Board: Fake Account & Outsourcing Issue
Tottori Prefecture Addresses Misinformation with New Technology and Election Poster Regulations
Tottori Prefecture, in western Japan, is taking a multi-pronged approach to combatting the spread of misinformation, both online and during election campaigns. These efforts include participation in a demonstration project utilizing “Originator Profile” (OP) technology and the recent unanimous passage of an ordinance regulating the use of election poster boards.
The prefectural government announced on Tuesday, January 14, 2025, its participation in a demonstration project employing Originator Profile technology. This technology aims to identify the original disseminators of information found in online articles and content, helping to counter the spread of false or misleading information. The demonstration is scheduled to run until March, with the prefecture aiming for full-scale implementation of the technology in or after fiscal 2025, specifically for publishing information related to disasters and disaster mitigation on its website.
According to the Originator Profile Collaborative Innovation Partnership (OPCIP), this marks the first time a prefectural government in Japan has undertaken a demonstration of the OP technology. The OPCIP, comprised of 45 organizations including media outlets, is developing the technology, which embeds an electronic identifier in online content, allowing users to verify its authenticity. This allows users to confirm whether information has been falsified.
The move to adopt OP technology follows concerns raised after the posting of fake rescue requests on social media in the wake of the Noto Peninsula Earthquake on New Year’s Day in 2024. The Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry adopted the OP project last July to support the development of technologies to counter disinformation and misinformation online.
Beyond online misinformation, Tottori Prefecture is also addressing issues related to election campaigns. On Thursday, October 10, 2024, the Tottori prefectural assembly unanimously passed an ordinance banning the use of official election poster boards for purposes unrelated to election campaigns. This action was prompted by instances of unrelated posters appearing during the campaign period for the July 7, 2024, Tokyo gubernatorial election. The prefectural government intends to implement the ordinance promptly, becoming the first prefecture in Japan to do so following the Tokyo election, according to the National Governors’ Association.
These actions come amid broader concerns about election security threats, including the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and deep fakes. Cyber fraud is increasingly threatening election security globally, and the development of technologies like OP is seen as a potential defense against such threats. Tactics used in political influence operations, such as creating fake personas with plausible histories and using AI-generated images, are also being observed in commercial contexts, like lead generation on platforms such as LinkedIn.
Researchers have documented the use of these tactics, including the creation of fake accounts with AI-generated profile pictures, and the outsourcing of disinformation campaigns. These tactics can be used to create deceptive online personas and spread misinformation.
The prefectural assembly’s actions also follow a series of problems involving its members, including arrests for embezzlement, violation of the Public Offices Election Act, and fraud.