Twitter to publish offical info linked to Mexico vote

[MEXICO City] Social media network Twitter has signed an agreement with Mexico's National Electoral Institute (INE) to distribute official information during the lead-up to July's general elections.

Mexico's electoral authority has already agreed a similar accord with Facebook and is preparing another with Google in a bid to fight the spread of false information that plagued the most recent US presidential election.

A statement released on Sunday by the INE said the three presidential debates will be broadcast via the Periscope platform as part of the deal.

"The INE and Twitter have signed a memorandum of understanding to achieve, through this social network that has millions of followers, informing society in an adequate and timely manner about the most important aspects of the electoral process," the statement said.

The statement said Twitter would publish information on the official accounts @TwitterLatAm and @TwitterGov to give "visibility to public information disseminated by the INE".

The INE - which is responsible for protecting the list of Mexican voters - emphasised the agreement "in no way implies sharing or making use of personal data with any of the parties". The National Institute of Access (INAI) - in charge of monitoring Mexicans' personal data - meanwhile said it would contact authorities in the United States and Great Britain in light of the scandal engulfing Facebook and Cambridge Analytica.

The communications firm, which worked on US President Donald Trump's election campaign, has been accused of illegally mining tens of millions of users' Facebook data and using it to target potential voters.

The INAI said in a statement that there was not yet evidence the Cambridge Analytica had accessed any personal data of Mexicans.

The July 1 ballot will include presidential elections as well as those for the two branches of Congress and a number of local seats.

BLOOMBERG