Chief electoral officer proposes legislative changes to crack down on deepfakes [Video]

Canada’s elections chief wants a ban on the misrepresentation of candidates and other key players in the electoral process through manipulation of their voice or image without consent.

The proposed change to the Canada Elections Act is among several measures chief electoral officer Stéphane Perrault is putting forward to address the use of deepfakes and other artificially created content to fool voters.

In an interview, Perrault said he is “hoping to convince” MPs to expand an electoral reform bill, currently in a House of Commons committee, to include some new elements.

Brazen meddling tactics such as deepfakes have become part of the public conversation in the United States, but they are still “a bit of a shock to the system” in Canada, he said.

“We have to acknowledge that there are all kinds of issues that happen during an election, and be prepared to talk about that.”

Perrault makes the …