How fake news hijacked Cameroon’s digital democracy 🗳️🇨🇲

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Every election cycle in Cameroon now follows a familiar script: viral rumors, doctored photos, fake results, anonymous accounts, and videos that look too real to be fake. Since the presidential election on October 12, the country has been flooded with unverified information. Online, everyone claims to know something, everyone shares, and almost no one doubts — except those labeled “too cautious.” In such a tense political climate, digital misinformation has become a campaign player in its own right.

A flood of doctored content 🎭

On Facebook, WhatsApp, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter), “shocking” videos and posts spread at dizzying speed. Group chats turn into pop-up newsrooms where anyone can play journalist for a day. Some posts claim to reveal “early results,” others recycle old footage as new, or even generate fake statements using AI tools.

“We get so many messages every day that it’s impossible to tell what’s real,” says Nadège, a university student. “People send you alarming videos, and even when you tell them they’re fake, they reply, ‘But it says so in the caption!’”

Anonymous accounts — often created just for the occasion — share fake ballots, fabricated victory messages from political parties, or deepfake videos where candidates appear to say things they never did. The age of synthetic media has arrived, and no one is immune.

Citizens caught in the viral trap📱

More than 70% of Cameroonian internet users get their news primarily from social media, according to Data Check Cameroon. That means a post shared by a friend or relative easily becomes “trusted information.” Emotional logic now outweighs critical thinking: people believe first, share second, and only start doubting when someone close calls them out.

“When information comes from a family member, you don’t question it,” explains Hervé, a teacher. “But that’s exactly how misinformation spreads fastest.”

Platforms struggle to keep up. Reports of false content often come too late — after posts have already reached thousands of screens. Even when deleted, screenshots and reuploads ensure the rumor lives on, reshaped and reamplified.

AI: the new engine of disinformation 🤖

The rise of generative AI has made it easier than ever to fabricate convincing fake content. In minutes, anyone can produce a realistic photo of a campaign rally, a fake candidate statement, or an image of a toppled ballot box that looks captured in real time.

“Before, you could spot a Photoshop job,” notes a fact-checking journalist. “Now, even trained eyes can be fooled.”

This shift makes fighting fake news far more complex. Most false narratives spread by tapping into collective emotions — anger, fear, pride — and travel faster than any official correction ever could.

When doubt becomes a political weapon  ⚔️

Beyond the lies themselves, the real danger lies in the culture of suspicion they create. When everything seems potentially fake, even true information loses credibility. Official media reports are challenged, authentic videos dismissed as “edited,” and public trust crumbles.

“Fake news isn’t just about lies,” explains Mireille, a sociologist. “It’s about blurring the lines until no one trusts anyone.”

The invisible battle: verify, doubt, educate 🕵🏾‍♀️

Several local initiatives are trying to stem the tide — fact-checking pages, investigative journalists, and media literacy campaigns. But against the speed of algorithmic virality, human verification moves at a snail’s pace in a race against machines.

The 2025 presidential election has confirmed one thing: in Cameroon, the battle of ideas now takes place online — and truth has become a fragile commodity. Between emotion, manipulation, and information overload, the digital citizen must now navigate a fog of content where everything shines, but little truly illuminates.

In this new battleground, the vote doesn’t just happen at the ballot box… it also happens in what each of us chooses to believe — and to share.

👉🏾 Do you think fake news can really sway voters in Cameroon? Share your thoughts below.