French Officials Complain About Algorithmic Impact on Election Campaigns

A group of elected officials in France has sparked widespread controversy after accusing social media platforms owned by "Meta" of exhibiting algorithmic bias against women, arguing that these mechanisms negatively affect their election campaigns and expose them to waves of online harassment.

These accusations come as municipal elections in France approach, where social networks have become a key tool for communicating with voters and promoting political programs.

Accusations of Targeting Content to a Male Audience

Regional council member from the Green Party, Elodie Ganto, was one of the most prominent figures highlighting the issue, pointing out that the algorithms of "Facebook" and "Instagram" display her political content more to a male audience.
Ganto confirmed that about 86% of viewers of her videos are men, arguing that this distribution is not related to the nature of the topics she raises, but rather to her gender as a woman.

Direct Action to Combat What She Describes as Discrimination

Ganto decided to approach the "Meta" headquarters in Paris to demand clarifications regarding the workings of the algorithms, considering that classifying political content based on gender undermines equality of opportunity in electoral competition.
She emphasized that social networks have become an essential means for candidates to introduce themselves, but she believes that the algorithms treat the content she publishes as if it were directed for non-political purposes.

Petition Warning of the Consequences of the Phenomenon

About 100 elected officials, most of them from the Green Party and the Socialist Party, along with other political figures, joined a petition warning of the impact of these mechanisms on women's chances in election campaigns.
The participants confirmed that algorithmic bias not only limits access to the audience but may also increase the likelihood of experiencing abuse and threats online.

Human Rights Warnings About the Impact of Algorithms on Democracy

For its part, Amnesty International in France clarified that these technical biases are documented, noting that recommendation systems may push content to an audience more prone to negative interactions, which could enhance harassment or threats against women in the political sphere.
European Parliament member David Cormand warned that this phenomenon particularly affects local officials who lack specialized media teams to manage their digital presence.

Calls for Transparency and Equal Opportunities

The officials demanded that "Meta" provide greater transparency regarding the criteria for recommending political content and ensure equality in access for male and female candidates to the audience, thereby promoting political pluralism.

For its part, "Meta" confirmed that content display systems rely on thousands of different indicators, while the officials believe that highlighting this issue aims to raise public awareness of the impact of digital platforms on democratic processes.