PM Mia Mottley calls for CARICOM ‘Blue Tick’ to tackle fake news, AI abuse

Jamaica: Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley, while speaking during her opening address at the 49th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM in Jamaica, calls for CARICOM leaders to institute a regional verification framework to combat the spread of fake news, misinformation and the misuse of AI. 

The Barbadian Prime Minister brought to light the concerns during her address and called for a CARICOM authentication as many of the platform providers have failed in limiting the spread of fake news and ensuring that information is trustworthy. 

Mottley emphasised on the harmful effects of misinformation by saying that they live in a world now where fake news, regrettably, is a major part of all that they have and where the improper use of AI can sometimes create great fear and panic among the citizens. 

She added that it is about time, therefore, that they as a region come up with a CARICOM validation mechanism in the absence of the providers of those platforms not taking the action in order to validate truth any further. “And if we fail to do so, we put seriously at risk the stability of our democracies,” she further noted.

Validating her call she pointed out the recent misinformation episodes that took place in Barbados including a viral YouTube video that claimed the Barbados Government was banning U.S. President Trump from the country and imposing  travel advisories that didn’t exist on him. 

Adding that the act is seeming to be done by those that have no work to do and don’t seem to understand the toll that the misinformation takes on those who engage with it. 

Mottley proposed that CARICOM establish its own content verification mark to authenticate legitimate information, its own “blue tick” to validate the truth in the community while in the absence of sufficient action from global platforms. 

As the summit continues through July 8 the CARICOM leaders are set to address strict issues that combat the Caribbean such as organized crime, climate resilience, trade, and intra-regional connectivity. 

The proposal for the authentication framework is expected to be reviewed, potentially leading to the formation of a technical committee. Afterwards the members of states will asses whether to draft a formal CARICOM charter or treaty to implement the “blue tick” system across media ecosystems.