DAR ES SALAAM, Oct. 24 -- AS the clock ticks towards Tanzanias General Election, a new battlefront has emerged not in the polling stations or political rallies, but in the vast, fastmoving digital world of social media.

Platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp are increasingly becoming breeding grounds for false news, misinformation and disinformation that threaten to cloud voters judgement and distort the countrys democratic process.

Across these online spaces, Tanzanians are being bombarded with information that is not always what it seems. Fake news about candidates, exaggerated development promises and manipulated images or videos have become all too common.

Experts warn that unless the public, the m...