Morocco: Using AI or social media for an election poll will land you in prison

The bill explicitly targets the rise of modern means of communication. It proposes to criminalize the use of social networks, open distribution networks, artificial intelligence tools, or any electronic platform to conduct or publish an opinion poll related to elections. This prohibition would apply during the sensitive period, defined from the fifteenth day preceding the start of the election campaign until the end of the voting operations.

Prison sentences and heavy fines

To ensure the application of this prohibition, the bill provides for a significant increase in sanctions. Offenders will be exposed to "strict repressive measures".

Any person who has requested the conduct of a poll in violation of these provisions will be liable to a prison sentence of six months to one year, accompanied by a fine ranging from 10,000 to 250,000 dirhams. The ceiling of the fine will be raised to 500,000 dirhams if the perpetrator of the offense is a legal entity. In addition, the perpetrators of these offenses may also be sentenced to the forfeiture of their commercial capacity for a period of five years.