Najuequa Barnes | AI and data privacy: New frontline in Jamaica’s election battle

From deepfakes to voter data exploitation, AI is reshaping the way elections are fought, and raising urgent questions about how Jamaica will protect both privacy and democracy in 2025.

DIGITAL THREAT

Jamaica’s pending general elections could be remembered for more than just the ballot results; they may become a case study in how personal data can be exploited to undermine democratic trust.

Already, allegations are swirling: political parties accused of altering images, cloning voices, and deploying citizens’ personal information in targeted propaganda. These tactics don’t just push ethical boundaries; they strike at the foundation of democracy itself.

NEW POLITICAL PLAYBOOK

In today’s digital ecosystem, manipulating reality is easier than ever. Deepfake videos can fabricate speeches. AI voice cloning can make someone “say” words they never uttered. Advanced image editing can place citizens or political opponents in staged, damaging contexts.

While some may dismiss these as fringe tactics, their impact in a tightly contested election could be seismic. A single falsified clip, strategically released, can influence undecided voters or discredit entire campaigns before the truth has a chance to surface.

DATA PRIVACY WEAK SPOT

The Data Protection Act, 2020 was designed to protect personal data through lawful, fair, and transparent processing. But election cycles test the limits of enforcement.

Campaigning requires vast amounts of personal information: voter rolls, contact databases, polling records, and social media profiles. Without airtight security measures, this data becomes a goldmine for manipulation, whether by microtargeting political ads or crafting AI-generated disinformation to sway public opinion.

PRIVACY RISKS

Data privacy risks don’t start when the campaign ads appear, and they don’t end when the ballots are counted. They run through the entire electoral process:

• Voter registration: Personal data collected at registration, including names, addresses, and identification details, can be targeted if databases aren’t properly encrypted and access is not strictly controlled.

• Campaign fundraising: Donor lists, financial records, and contact details are valuable not only to political strategists but to cybercriminals.

• Political messaging platforms: Voter outreach through email, SMS, and social media can become a channel for data harvesting and profiling, often without clear consent.

• Election day technology: Electronic poll books, voting machines, and results transmission systems, if not securely managed, can become points of vulnerability.

• Post-election data retention: Once votes are tallied, the data collected during the campaign often remains stored for years. Without proper retention policies and secure deletion protocols, this information can be misused long after the election.

The danger is that every one of these touchpoints is an opportunity for privacy violations that could influence not only this election, but public trust for years to come.

AI’s DARK SIDE

Artificial intelligence can be used ethically to understand voter needs, improve outreach, and increase accessibility. Unfortunately, its darker applications are proving far more tempting in the political arena.

AI enables the creation of targeted narratives designed to resonate with, or provoke specific demographics. The danger? Voters may never see a balanced view, only the version of ‘truth’ engineered to exploit their fears, biases, or personal history.

SECURING DEMOCRACY

Just as ballot boxes are protected from tampering, the personal data of every citizen must be safeguarded from misuse. This means taking a comprehensive approach to security that goes beyond compliance on paper.

Election-related data, from voter lists to campaign databases, should be stored and shared under the strictest safeguards, with clear limits on who can access it and for what purpose. Campaign teams must conduct privacy impact assessments before rolling out new voter engagement technologies, and political advertisements, whether online or offline, should clearly disclose their origin and funding source.

Citizens must also be better equipped to recognise manipulated content, ask questions about how their information is being used, and demand transparency from political parties. In addition, there must be enforceable rules on the use of AI-generated political material, with mandatory disclosures to ensure voters can distinguish between authentic communication and manufactured narratives.

And critically, election bodies must implement strict data retention limits and guarantee the secure deletion of voter data that is no longer needed. Without these protections, the door remains open for those who would exploit personal data to distort public opinion and erode the trust that democracy depends on.

PATRIOTISM OF PRIVACY

The health of Jamaica’s democracy hinges not only on free access to the polls but also on the integrity of the information that shapes voter choice. Allowing personal data to be weaponised against the electorate undermines everything the electoral process is meant to protect.

As we approach the 2025 elections, the choice is stark: let technology be a tool for truth and engagement, or allow it to morph into a weapon for manipulation and control. Protecting privacy is not a barrier to democracy, it is the strongest safeguard it has.

Najuequa Barnes is the managing director and chief privacy officer of United Consulting International Limited. Send feedback to corporatesolutions@uciconsult.com