Elections (Integrity of Online Advertising) (Amendment) Bill

The Elections (Integrity of Online Advertising) (Amendment) Bill seeks to enhance election integrity by prohibiting online advertising that uses digitally manipulated content to misrepresent candidates. The amendment introduces an offence for publishing such misleading advertisements during election periods, with penalties including fines and imprisonment. It requires the Returning Officer to publicly maintain a list of candidates and extends their authority to issue corrective directions against non-compliant ads. Certain defenses and exemptions are defined, and similar provisions are made for both the Parliamentary and Presidential Elections Acts.