Author: Фондација Метаморфозис

  • Clicks, Money and Influence: Online Media’s Roles and Responsibilities in Elections

    It is necessary to strengthen the transparency and oversight of paid political advertising among online media outlets during the election campaign. This is the basic premise from which the implementation of the project “Money, Media and Elections in North Macedonia” began, which was implemented by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) together with the Metamorphosis Foundation. As a culmination of the implementation of the project activities, on March 4 and 5, 2025, in Skopje, the international conference “Clicks, Money and Influence: Online Media’s Roles and Responsibilities in Elections” was held.
    In her opening speech, Ioana Cosma, IFES Country Director, emphasized that the goal of this event is to facilitate the exchange of international good practices and regulations for the supervision of political campaigns and online media outlets during elections, as well as to see whether some of those practices can be incorporated into the national practice and legal framework.
    In his welcoming speech, Metamorphosis Executive Director Bardhyl Jashari noted that the implementation identified critical gaps and weaknesses in political paid advertising among online media outlets during the election campaign for the parliamentary elections.
    Within the session “ Countdown to elections in North Macedonia: How to Strengthen the Transparency and Oversight of Paid Political Advertising during Media Campaign, including on Internet Portals?” there was a discussion on possible ways to improve the oversight, reporting, and transparency of internet portals during elections—a review of the current regulatory, ethical, and practical challenges regarding future elections.
    Maksim Acevski, Auditor General at the State Audit Office, pointed out that the institution spends valuable human resources and money when it comes to monitoring the election process, which an entire sector composed of certified auditors continuously monitors.
    “For years we have been saying that there is a need to amend the Electoral Code, which is being passed by political actors without consulting us,” Acevski said. According to him, this area needs to be regulated, especially in the field of internet portals, in order to prescribe criteria for the distribution of funds, as well as to further regulate penal policy.
    The Director of the Agency for Audio and Audio–visual Media Services, Zoran Trajchevski, reiterated in his presentation that the AVMU believes there should be no paid political advertising from the state budget. He also spoke about the tendency of redirecting election campaigns to social networks. He said that during the presidential elections, it was noticeable that public office holders and candidates used their Facebook profiles to openly campaign, with live broadcasts, speeches, photos, and videos of meetings with citizens.
    “That’s how they mobilized a larger number of supporters and gained more viewers. Campaigning on social networks is not regulated at all in our country,” Trajchevski added.
    Minister of Digital Transformation Stefan Andonovski emphasized at the event that this ministry has taken over one of the responsibilities related to media policies.
    “The number of portals is much higher compared to traditional media outlets, although many of them are phantom. The preparation of the media law is in its final stages and is expected to be presented at a government session soon, followed by discussion in Parliament,” the minister said.
    The second day of the conference was opened by the Deputy Ambassador of the British Embassy in Skopje, Daniel Fieller, with a keynote speech.
    “It is important to take stock from each election cycle as a next step to improving the integrity of future elections. Our UK funded IFES Project—Money, Media and Elections provides evidence and proposals for improved oversight of public spend in online election campaigning and the role of media in shaping public discourse,” Fieller said.
    This was followed by the session “Overseeing Paid Political Ads: Institutional Roles and Changing Requirements in the Rapidly Advancing Digital Age,” which discussed national and international practices (and challenges) in monitoring paid political advertising and ensuring compliance, especially regarding online campaigning during elections. Speakers included Emilija Janevska, Head of the Program Affairs Department of the Agency for Audio and Audiovisual Media Services, Magnus Öhman, Director of IFES Regional Europe Office and Senior Political Finance Adviser, and Noemi Arcidiacono, OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). The session was moderated by Danche Danilovska-Bajdevska, Program Director at the Metamorphosis Foundation.
    During the final session, titled “Tools and Methodologies for Ethical Online Media Monitoring and Reporting,” speakers Sam Power, International Expert on Political and Party Financing, University of Bristol and Biljana Georgievska, Executive Directress, Council of Media Ethics of Macedonia, addressed the application of tools and methodologies for monitoring and reporting of the activities of online media outlets during elections. The session opened a discussion on good practices, technological solutions (including the use of AI) and regulatory approaches to ensure transparency, accountability, and accuracy in the oversight of digital media. The session was moderated by Zlatko Simonovski from the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES).
    Over 70 participants and 12 speakers present at the two-day conference “Clicks, Money and Influence: The Roles and Responsibilities of Online Media in Elections,” discussed the ways in which online portals during elections and in a time of growth in digital campaigns and their influence can contribute to ethical and fair reporting on candidates and parties participating in elections, and the following conclusions were drawn:

    There are no specific laws regulating online political advertising, hence the need for legal regulation of this area by granting powers to a given institution or body.
    Until specific legal solutions are implemented, it is essential to establish mechanisms for enforcing and monitoring harmful content through collaboration with civil society organizations and the use of digital tools.
    Urgent criteria are needed to ensure that state funding for election campaigns reaches credible portals.

    There are good international practices that can help regulate the work of online portals and the financing and reporting of money spent in election campaigns in general, including artificial intelligence tools.

    Attention should also be paid to the ownership of online portals, as this can often reveal an invisible connection between parties and the favoritism content that is being placed.

    The conference “ Clicks, Money and Influence: The Roles and Responsibilities of Online Media in Elections, ” is organized within the framework of the project “Money, Media and Elections in North Macedonia” funded by the Government of the United Kingdom with the support of the British Embassy Skopje.

  • Clicks, money and elections: Political online ads to have digital footprints

    Online advertisements should have so-called (digital) fingerprints, so that it can be tracked who pays for those advertisements, for or against whom they are intended. Such fingerprints of advertisements should not only contain as much information and detail as possible but should also be kept in appropriate files so that there could be greater transparency, and they could be easier to track. These were some of the conclusions that Magnus Öhman, Senior Political Finance Advisor at the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), shared at today’s briefing with journalists in Skopje, organized by the Metamorphosis Foundation and IFES, within the framework of the project “Money, Media and Elections in North Macedonia.” Dr.Magnus Öhman gave a comparative perspective on political advertising around the world, as well as some of the good practices, saying:
    – Paid online funding, as expected, represents the largest share of political funding during elections. For example, in the last two months of last year’s US presidential election alone, $700 million was spent on Meta and Google alone, out of a total of $1.2 billion spent on online advertising during the campaign
    Dr. Magnus Öhman (Photo: personal archive)
    Dr.Öhman emphasized that a single country should not be taken as an example to completely rewrite the system, the law on financial reporting, especially since, in his opinion, many of the regulatory frameworks and laws lag behind new methods of political advertising. He emphasized the example of Donald Trump, who during the presidential election allocated less funds for political advertising and turned more to influencers and online commentators.
    This is exactly what Emilija Petreska Kamenjarova from the Agency for Audio and Audiovisual Media Services spoke about at last week’s panel discussion. She pointed out that the media regulation covers influencers who share videos on online platforms in order to inform, entertain or educate users, and from that they make economic profit. And with the new rulebook that the Agency is to adopt this year, the criteria for which influencers will be subject to legal regulation will be specified.
    “It is sufficient to reference online advertising in the [electoral] code,” says Dr. Öhman, “which would provide adequate oversight, thereby allowing regulatory commissions the opportunity to clarify the method of reporting and informing on online advertising, define what constitutes online political advertising, and specify what does not”
    He also emphasizes that it is not only “states”, i.e. political entities, that are obliged to be as transparent as possible about advertising funding, but also the platforms and advertisers themselves where these ads are placed. In other words, how much money the candidates have allocated, how much and from whom the platforms have received it.
    He emphasizes that EU regulations will only now need to be harmonized among member states, especially since they themselves have different laws on political advertising. Thus, аll member states will monitor the alignment separately, and the EU Commission will monitor candidate countries such as North Macedonia.
    Furthermore, Dr. Öhman shared several good practices that are good to implement. The so-called (digital) imprints were emphasized several times, with which it would be possible to track who pays how much for those ads, for or against whom they are intended. Such imprints would be collected in some kind of files, similar to the Meta and Google ad libraries. As a positive example resembling such a system, the “Political Advert Repository” or PADRE from South Africa was singled out.
    PADRE is actually an initiative of the South African Electoral Commission that aims to systematize online and digital political advertisements into easily accessible libraries that will increase transparency in electoral processes.
    Photo: Screenshot from the South African Political Advert Repository, PADRE
    Although, as Dr. Öhman shared and as can be seen from the website itself, the library is empty and has yet to be filled, the goal is to make the process as easy and quick as possible. This is the second good practice recommendation that Dr. Öhman shared. He believes that this process of reporting political advertising funding should be made simpler, so that it can be monitored.
    The last example Dr. Öhman shared is adding some kind of code to the ads themselves. These codes would be placed beneath the ad and could be accessed in a file like PADRE. Alternatively, the codes could include a link that redirects to a library, where you can view the details of the ad’s origin, including the individuals responsible and the amount paid for the advertisement.

    Source: Truthmeter.mk

  • International conference titled “Clicks, Money, and Influence: The Roles and Responsibilities of Online Media in Elections.

    We are pleased to inform you that the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), in collaboration with the Metamorphosis Foundation, is organizing an international conference titled “Clicks, Money, and Influence: The Roles and Responsibilities of Online Media in Elections.” The conference will be held on 4-5 March 2025 at the Holiday Inn Hotel in Skopje.
    The two-day event will bring together experts and stakeholders to discuss ways to strengthen transparency and oversight of paid political advertising during election campaigns, including on online platforms. The sessions will cover various topics, such as paid political advertising, institutional roles, and the evolving conditions of the digital era. Best practices, technological solutions, and regulatory approaches will be shared to promote transparency, accountability, and accuracy in overseeing online platforms.
    The conference is organized within the framework of the project “Money, Media, and Elections in North Macedonia,” supported by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) of the UK Government.

  • METAMORPHOSIS FOUNDATION INITIATIVE TO ALIGN LEGISLATION WITH THE DIGITAL SERVICES ACT INCLUDED IN THE 2025 GOVERNMENT WORK PROGRAMME

    The Metamorphosis Foundation’s Initiative to align our legislation with the EU Digital Services Act has been accepted by the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia and included in its 2025 Work Programme.
    Aligning the legislation with the Digital Services Act will support North Macedonia’s EU integration goals, improve its digital regulatory framework and provide a safer and more predictable digital environment for citizens and the business community.
    This decision acknowledges the Metamorphosis Foundation’s efforts in promoting digital rights and internet security, as well as its commitment to fostering a fair and open online environment. At the same time, it supports the integrity of the consultative mechanism.
    The Metamorphosis Foundation has produced an analysis of North Macedonia’s readiness to align national legislation with the EU Digital Services Act, which offers a detailed overview of the existing legal framework, identifies legal gaps and challenges, and gives concrete recommendations that can serve as a guide to effective alignment.

  • Safer Internet Day: Towards a safer digital future with the EU Digital Services Act

    A safe internet for all!

    The digital world offers many opportunities but also presents challenges. On Safer Internet Day, we emphasize the importance of digital services and our rights. Watch the video to learn how the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) is making the internet safer for all and discover how its new rules protect us online—from ensuring algorithmic transparency to combating disinformation.

    Together we can create a better and safer internet!

  • Openness starts with knowledge and collaboration: Mentoring support for transparent and accountable municipalities

    The mentoring support aimed at increasing openness and transparency among municipalities in the Republic of North Macedonia is ongoing. This initiative, provided by the Rural Coalition in collaboration with the Metamorphosis Foundation, supports nine municipalities across eight planning regions where the digital tool mZaednica is either being implemented or planned for implementation.
    Among the first municipalities to receive this opportunity to strengthen the capacities of the municipal administration towards proactive publication of documents, improving transparency and openness, as well as overcoming current challenges, in order to encourage more informed civic participation in local decisions, are the municipalities of Kocani, Kriva Palanka, Valandovo, Aerodrom, Demir Hisar, Gostivar, Negotino, Struga, and Štip.
    The mentoring is conducted online in January and February 2025, based on a methodology for strengthening the capacities of municipalities developed according to the Openness Index of local self-government, with an emphasis on systematization and prioritization of information based on the results of the Openness Index.
    The mentoring is conducted online in January and February 2025, following a methodology developed to strengthen municipal capacities, based on the Openness Index. The primary focus is on systematically prioritizing information according to the latest results from the monitoring of local self-government openness, as shown in Assessment of Good Governance in Local Self-Government Units in the Republic of North Macedonia Using the Openness Index.
    The ultimate goal of this activity is to train public officials who will be able to work independently on consistently improving the openness of their municipalities.

    This activity is part of the project (DIGILOC) Digital transformation at local level – Engaged community for corruption resilience supported by the Government of Switzerland through Civica Mobilitas.
    Partners in the project are Metamorphosis Foundation for Internet and Society, Rural Coalition, and Center for Social Innovations Blink 42-21.

  • The openness measurement of local self-government units for 2025, through the Openness Index, has begun

    The Metamorphosis Foundation in partnership with the Rural Coalition has begun the implementation of this year’s measurement of openness of local self-government units in the Republic of North Macedonia.
    The measurement of openness for all 81 local self-government units will be conducted using the Openness Index, a composite indicator that gauges the degree of institutional openness to citizens and society. It was created to assess how effectively institutions provide citizens with clear and accessible information.
    To measure the degree of openness in local self-government, monitoring through the Openness Index is conducted in accordance with legal regulations, international standards, recommendations, and best practices. This evaluation is based on specific quantitative and qualitative indicators, including access to information on official websites, published data on institutional operations, public procurement, and the spending of public funds, among others.
    Upon completing the openness measurement of local government units, and based on the analyzed data, the Metamorphosis Foundation will prepare a public policy document that will be shared with local government and the public, in order to help promote the openness of local government to citizens.
    Additional information on the latest measurement of openness in local government units can be found in the publication Assessment of Good Governance in Local Self-Government Units in the Republic of North Macedonia Using the Openness Index.
    This activity is part of the project (DIGILOC) Digital transformation at local level – Engaged community for corruption resilience supported by the Government of Switzerland through Civica Mobilitas. Partners in the project are Metamorphosis Foundation for Internet and Society, Rural Coalition, and Center for Social Innovations Blink 42-21.

  • Opennes Index: The ninth wave of openness measures for the executive and legislative branches has begun

    The ninth wave of measuring the openness of the executive and legislative branches of power in four countries of the Western Balkan region, namely Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, through the Openness Index, has begun. The measurement is carried out by the network “Accountability, Technology and Institutional Openness Network in South East Europe – ACTION SEE” with support of the National Endowment for Democracy – NED “Leveraging technology to promote institutional accountability and transparency.”

    The Openness Index is a composite indicator that measures, over the course of eight consecutive years, the degree of openness of state institutions in the Western Balkans to citizens and society. It was developed to assess the extent to which citizens in the region receive relevant and understandable information from these institutions.
    To measure the degree of institutional openness, the partners of the ACTION SEE network, in line with international standards, recommendations, and best practices, monitor institutions using specific quantitative and qualitative indicators. These include access to information on official institutional websites, the quality of the legal framework for various issues, alternative public information sources, published data on the operations of institutions, public procurement data, and information on public spending, among others.
    Based on the eighth wave of measurements carried out during 2024, the publications Assessment of Good Governance of the Executive Branch in North Macedonia and the Region through the Openness Index according to the Measurement for the Year 2023 and Assessment of Good Governance of the Legislative Branch in North Macedonia and the Region through the Openness Index according to the Measurement for the Year 2023 provide a detailed picture of the openness of individual institutions and include concrete recommendations and steps to improve their transparency.
    The project “Leveraging technology to promote institutional accountability and transparency” is implemented by the Center for Democratic Transition (Montenegro) in partnership with the Metamorphosis Foundation for Internet and Society, the Citizens Association Why Not?, and Partners for Democratic Change Serbia (Serbia), with financial support from the National Endowment for Democracy – NED.

  • Metamorphosis Foundation at “Privacy Week” in Belgrade: Privacy for All

    The Metamorphosis Foundation participated in the 5th annual “Privacy Week” conference, organized by Partners for Democratic Change (Partners Serbia), held in Belgrade from January 29-31, 2025, under the theme “Privacy for All.”

    This year’s conference focused on privacy and data protection, with a particular emphasis on safeguarding the rights of the most vulnerable, including activists and journalists.
    On January 30, 2025, the central event of “Privacy Week” took place, coinciding with International Data Protection Day. The conference explored the synergy of personal data protection and the fight against discrimination, the protection of digital rights for citizens outside the European Union’s regulatory framework and the so-called Brussels Effect, the protection of medical data in the development of artificial intelligence models, along with several other related topics.

    Danche Danilovska-Bajdevska, Program Director at the Metamorphosis Foundation, was the moderator of the panel “Brussels Effect—A View from the Periphery,” which was focused on the impact of European regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Digital Services Act (DSA), and the Digital Markets Act (DMA) on the digital market and human rights in countries outside the EU regulatory framework. Panelists in this session examined the effects of these regulations, with particular attention to the rights protection mechanisms available to citizens and the challenges in applying them outside the EU. The discussion also highlighted successful initiatives to protect digital rights outside the EU, as well as the opportunities and benefits of integrating the Western Balkans into the single digital market.

  • Open letter to the European Commission from EDRi: Now is the time to double down on EU tech sovereignty

    Dear President von der Leyen,Dear Executive Vice-President Ribera,Dear Executive Vice-President Virkkunen,

    We, the undersigned civil society organisations, trade unions and businesses, urge you to resistpolitical pressure from Big Tech companies and prioritise bold action to protect our democracyand economy. If the EU wants to uphold its sovereignty it must not pause or weaken theenforcement of its rules.
    We have observed with increasing concern how the CEOs of US Big Tech companies have takenturns to ingratiate themselves with the Trump administration in part to mobilise it against EUrules such as the Digital Markets Act (DMA), competition policy and the Digital Services Act(DSA).
    The CEO of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, has publicly stated that the company would seek to workwith President Trump to undermine laws in the EU, directly targeting the DSA but alsocompetition policy enforcement. Similarly, Apple CEO Tim Cook has reportedly petitioned Trumpdirectly to spare him the fines imposed by the EU following a state aid investigation.
    We are relieved to hear you remain fully committed to the strict application of the DSA and DMAand to enforcing those rules wherever companies do not comply in full, following press reportsthat suggested the Commission was considering pausing ongoing investigations.
    The undersigned organisations re-emphasise in the strongest possible terms that enforcing theDSA, DMA and competition policy is essential for protecting people from the worst abusesonline, for shielding our democracies against foreign interference, for creating opportunities forEuropean innovators, for preserving media pluralism, and limiting the dangerous political andmarket power that Big Tech corporations hold today. We reiterate our support for theCommission services that do the day-to-day enforcement work and we call on you to take bolddecisions based on their assessments.
    Yet, this time shows more than ever before that to rein in Big Tech the EU also needs to invest intechnology that enables a more diverse and decentralised digital public sphere.

    Pausing enforcement would be to admit defeat in your work to make the digital sphere fair and safe

    Big Tech CEOs trying to curry favour with the US administration is no surprise. In fact, Big Techcompanies have achieved their immense market dominance in part by wielding their power toavoid complying with laws such as data protection and competition policy in the past. They haveall heavily lobbied against the EU’s use of competition tools and the DMA since the proposal wasfirst discussed. Apple and Meta also tried to block DMA enforcement with legal actions againstthe Commission questioning their gatekeeper status.
    Now Big Tech CEOs are seeking to mobilise the Trump administration to protect their ability toexploit users and businesses dependent on them, including app developers, publishers,advertisers, and others, all while continuing to stifle potential competitors. This exploitation hasnot only created an unfair digital economy; it has directly impacted the dynamism and pluralismof Europe’s economy.
    Re-introducing contestability, fairness and choice to the digital market will already be a difficulttask. If we pause or weaken enforcement, we risk making it impossible.

    Europe must not be bullied by the likes of Musk and Trump into weakening its DSA and DMAenforcement

    At the same time, the actions taken by X and Meta are a stark reminder of how vulnerableEurope is in our dependency on the largest online platforms.
    X in particular has been in violation of its obligations under the DSA for some time, as underlinedby the Commission’s own preliminary findings. The way Musk and his oligarch allies use theplatform for anti-democratic political propaganda, lies, and targeted harassment, is a seriousthreat to our democracy and political discourse in Europe. We are deeply worried about thepower they now wield through the algorithmic manipulation machine that underpins X’s socialmedia feeds.
    Meta recently announced a major watering down of their content moderation approach acrosstheir platforms. This change abolishes some of the most basic human rights protections,expressly allowing the targeting of marginalised communities and emboldening extremists. Whilethose changes have been announced to apply to US users first, Facebook, Instagram and Threadsare global platforms. US-based, English-language content will inevitably be seen and shared byEEA users as well, and these users are very likely to experience the fallout of this degradation ofcontent moderation. They will rightly ask how the DSA protects them.

    Now is the time to double down on EU tech sovereignty

    This is not a clash between the EU and the US, but rather an attack from Big Tech againsteveryone else.
    That is why we ask you today for bold political leadership to not only stand up to the bullyingfrom Big Tech firms but also to prioritise strong enforcement of the digital rulebook. In addition,we call on you to invest in a diverse and decentralised digital sphere that is part of a sovereigndigital commons and not owned and governed by proprietary technology corporations,regardless of where they reside.
    Yours sincerely,
    ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association, PolandAccess Now, GlobalAlgorithmWatch, GermanyAspiration, USAvaaz, GlobalBalanced Economy Project, GlobalBürgerbewegung Finanzwende, GermanyCenter for Countering Digital Hate, US/UKCorporate Europe Observatory, EUCommons Network, the NetherlandsCryptee, EstoniaDanes je nov dan, SloveniaDefend Democracy, Netherlands/BelgiumDemocracy Reporting International (DRI), GlobalDigital Action, GlobalDigitale Gesellschaft, SwitzerlandDržavljan D / Citizen D, SloveniaEKŌ, USEuropean Public Services Union (EPSU), EUEuropean Digital Rights (EDRi), EUFEMNET, GermanyGermanwatch e.V., GermanyGoliathwatch, GermanyGong, CroatiaHomo Digitalis, GreeceIrish Council for Civil Liberties, IrelandLobbycontrol, GermanyMatrix.org Foundation, UKMetamorphosis Foundation, North MacedoniaNextcloud, GermanyOpen Markets Institute, USPanoptykon Foundation, PolandPeople vs Big Tech, GlobalPolitiscope, CroatiaRebalance Now, GermanySHARE Foundation, SerbiaSOMO, the NetherlandsThe Good Lobby, EUThe London Story, Belgium / the NetherlandsTransnational Institute (TNI), the NetherlandsVrijschrift.org, NetherlandsXnet, Institute for Democratic Digitalisation, Spain

Нема повеќе содржини

Нема повеќе содржини