Casablanca — Marrakech opened today the 10th International Conference on Human Rights and Election Laws with a warning about the growing impact of digital technology on democratic life.
Held for the first time in an African country, the international conference on human rights and election laws brought the debate to Morocco at a moment when elections, public debate and access to information are increasingly shaped by digital platforms and artificial intelligence.
Speaking at the opening, Amina Bouayach, President of the National Human Rights Council, said the choice of Marrakech was not accidental. She described the city as a historic space of exchange between cultures and ideas, and linked that symbolism to the future of public debate and fundamental freedoms.
Bouayach said elections are not only a technical process for transferring power. They are also tied to basic rights, including the right to vote, run for office, express opinions, access information and take part in public affairs. Any change affecting public debate or the way citizens receive information, she said, also affects the rights framework of democratic practice.
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She pointed to digital technologies and artificial intelligence as tools that can expand access to information, improve public services, support participation and strengthen transparency, including electoral transparency. But she also warned of serious risks.
According to Bouayach, digital spaces have become a real extension of the public sphere. In many cases, they are where opinions and collective choices are formed. Yet these spaces are often governed by complex and opaque algorithms that decide what people see, read and interact with.
She said misinformation has become one of the main threats of the current era, especially during elections, when trust in information, institutions and the electoral process becomes decisive. Deepfakes, automated content generation and micro targeting can make it harder to distinguish between real and fake content, while allowing political, ideological or commercial manipulation.
Bouayach stressed that the issue is not about rejecting technology or fearing digital change. The challenge, she said, is to build democratic governance for these tools, based on transparency, accountability, non discrimination and the protection of free choice.
She added that the National Human Rights Council had already integrated digital discourse analysis and social media monitoring during the 2021 elections. The council plans to strengthen these tools for the 2026 legislative elections, including better risk detection, data analysis and observer training.
Bouayach also proposed closing the conference with a final document to create a regular space for dialogue between institutions, researchers and actors from the Global South.
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