Regulation of election communication

This chapter describes the rules which protect the fairness and legitimacy of election campaigns in democracies. It describes how fundamental rights, journalism professional rules, broadcast licensing and election laws seek to maintain a level playing field in elections and ensure that public opinion cannot be manipulated. The chapter describes how recent developments in the technology of campaigns and particularly the increasing importance of social media have undermined previously existing rules, for example through the use of campaign services provided by companies such as Cambridge Analytica. The increasing datafication of election campaigns has led to widespread concern with fragmentation, manipulation, distortion and corruption of election campaigns which are reviewed in this chapter. The role of dominant platforms and foreign actors is also explored and a review is made of current directions in research and public policy aiming to restore public trust in campaigns.