Disinformation and Democracy
7 years, 2 months ago

Disinformation and Democracy

Al Jazeera  

A two-part investigation into the threats to democracy posed by fake news and propaganda on social media. For democracies to flourish and succeed, voters need accurate information on which to base their decisions; to weigh up the relative merits of proposed policy A over proposed policy B, to judge whether this candidate is more trustworthy or reliable than that one, or that these promises are more likely to be kept than those. But recent elections, most notably that of Donald Trump as US President, have highlighted the dangers to this process posed by those using social media and the internet to spread malevolent propaganda and fake news. In the alternative cyber-reality they’ve constructed, fiction suddenly becomes fact, lies become accepted truths, partisanship is entrenched and consensus about the real size of the budget deficit or the number of immigrants coming into the country or even whether a foreign power is a dangerous threat, becomes almost impossible to achieve.

Social Media Fake News  propaganda  posed  democracy  twopart  read  power  media  social  policy  disinformation  fake  proposed

History of this topic

A Social Strangulation
1 month, 3 weeks ago

A Social Strangulation

Live Law  

Irony of warnings is that they are mostly paid heed post their ignorance. Once upon a time social media was a twin champion of democratic free speech and efflux of information. In the enigma of social media policy updates somewhere and somehow it has become a prisoner of state of contemporary times. But, users of private social media platforms have …

Poll management bodies adopt the Delhi Declaration as ECI meet ends
2 months, 1 week ago

Poll management bodies adopt the Delhi Declaration as ECI meet ends

Hindustan Times  

Election management bodies from a dozen countries, including India’s Election Commission and Russia’s Central Election Commission, on Friday adopted the Delhi Declaration through which they have created a working group which will collectively negotiate with Big Tech companies — which are largely American — on issues related to online disinformation, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. In his closing remarks, chief election …

Majority of social media influencers don’t verify information before sharing it, study finds
4 months, 1 week ago

Majority of social media influencers don’t verify information before sharing it, study finds

CNN  

New York CNN — A majority of social media influencers don’t verify information before sharing it with their audiences, a study published Tuesday by the UN’s scientific and cultural arm found, underscoring concerns that some of the biggest online figures can uncritically spread misleading claims. While only 12% of the surveyed influencers said they produced content about “current affairs/politics and …

Is social media doing more harm than good to democracy?
4 months, 1 week ago

Is social media doing more harm than good to democracy?

The Hindu  

In the U.K., The Guardian newspaper announced earlier this month that it will no longer be posting on X, claiming that it is “a toxic media platform” and that its owner, Elon Musk, “has been able to use its influence to shape political discourse.” Is social media a useful tool or is it becoming a threat to democratic societies? Edited …

After Trump's victory, U.S. election falsehoods shift left
4 months, 2 weeks ago

After Trump's victory, U.S. election falsehoods shift left

Raw Story  

Right-wing falsehoods about voter fraud fell off a cliff after Donald Trump's victory in the U.S. election, but American liberals took a page from their playbook to push wild conspiracy theories that have fueled doubt about the democratic process. "What we're seeing now is an uptick in election fraud claims from the left, particularly in the days following Election Day …

Want to combat online misinformation? Regulate the architecture of social media platforms, not their content
4 months, 2 weeks ago

Want to combat online misinformation? Regulate the architecture of social media platforms, not their content

ABC  

Over the past couple of decades, social media platforms have evolved from simple networking sites into powerful forces that shape public opinion, influence elections, impact public health, and affect social cohesion. The growing role of social media platforms in disseminating information and the need to ensure the integrity of this information make discussions about regulation more urgent than ever. Focus …

Misinformation fears mount over second Trump term
4 months, 3 weeks ago

Misinformation fears mount over second Trump term

Raw Story  

Donald Trump's election victory paves the way for a fresh wave of misinformation, not only around politics but also on vaccines and climate, with his expected cabinet picks ready to challenge the scientific community. "The problem of misinformation and disinformation is the worst it's ever been," said Bill Adair, a Duke University professor who founded the fact-checking site PolitiFact and …

Can democracy survive the perfect storm of disinformation?
5 months, 2 weeks ago

Can democracy survive the perfect storm of disinformation?

ABC  

Just weeks before a US presidential election, a combination of political mendacity, the perverse incentives offered by social media platforms, and opportunism on the part of content creators/consumers, have come together to form a perfect storm. With state and federal elections around the corner, and little more than a year after the failed Voice referendum, can anything be done in …

U.S. Accuses Russia Of Spreading Disinformation Ahead Of Presidential Election
6 months, 4 weeks ago

U.S. Accuses Russia Of Spreading Disinformation Ahead Of Presidential Election

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING WASHINGTON — The Biden administration announced wide-ranging actions Wednesday meant to call out Russian influence in the upcoming U.S. presidential election, unsealing criminal charges against two employees of a Russian state-run media company and seizing internet domains used by the Kremlin to spread disinformation. Attorney General Merrick Garland said the actions relate to Russia’s use of state …

Swinney: Social media giants must crack down on ‘dangerous’ disinformation
7 months, 3 weeks ago

Swinney: Social media giants must crack down on ‘dangerous’ disinformation

The Independent  

Get Nadine White's Race Report newsletter for a fresh perspective on the week's news Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy John Swinney has urged social media giants to …

Russia is relying on unwitting Americans to spread election disinformation, US officials say
8 months ago

Russia is relying on unwitting Americans to spread election disinformation, US officials say

The Hindu  

The Kremlin is turning to unwitting Americans and commercial public relations firms in Russia to spread disinformation about the U.S. presidential race, top intelligence officials said Monday, detailing the latest efforts by America's adversaries to shape public opinion ahead of the 2024 election. “The American public should know that content that they read online — especially on social media — …

Russia is relying on unwitting Americans to spread election disinformation, US officials say
8 months ago

Russia is relying on unwitting Americans to spread election disinformation, US officials say

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Kremlin is turning to unwitting Americans and commercial public relations firms in Russia to spread disinformation about the U.S. presidential race, top intelligence officials said Monday, detailing the latest efforts by America’s adversaries to shape public opinion ahead of the 2024 election. What hasn’t changed, intelligence officials said, is the determination of these nations to seed the …

US intel reveals Russia plans to meddle in 2024 election
8 months, 3 weeks ago

US intel reveals Russia plans to meddle in 2024 election

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Russia will attempt to influence the 2024 US presidential election …

Fake news on social media is the problem we’re all ignoring – trust me, I worked for Twitter
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Fake news on social media is the problem we’re all ignoring – trust me, I worked for Twitter

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Back when I worked at Twitter, …

European Union braces for foreign disinformation as voters head to polls
9 months, 3 weeks ago

European Union braces for foreign disinformation as voters head to polls

Hindustan Times  

BRUSSELS — Voters in the European Union are set to elect lawmakers starting Thursday for the bloc's parliament, in a major democratic exercise that's also likely to be overshadowed by online disinformation. Tusk, meanwhile, called out Russia's “destabilization strategy on the eve of the European elections.” On a broader level, the goal of “disinformation campaigns is often not to disrupt …

Politics served with concise social media content
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Politics served with concise social media content

The Hindu  

The nature of information dissemination is changing rapidly and India is not immune to these sweeping changes. In India, growing social media use in the vernacular languages, combined with a largely unregulated digital space and a highly competitive, polarised political environment, necessitates vigilance to manage disruptive misinformation. This decline is mirrored in the popularity of concise social media content, i.e., …

Why disinformation is more dangerous than ever
10 months, 3 weeks ago

Why disinformation is more dangerous than ever

The Economist  

Listen to this podcast Your browser does not support the <audio> element. AI is making it easier to create deceptive content, while social media enables it to spread faster than ever before. Scientists are starting to understand the technology and tactics behind disinformation campaigns, opening up new possibilities to fight them. Contributors: Tom Standage, The Economist’s deputy editor; Hollie Berman, …

As India votes, misinformation surges on social media: ‘The whole country is paying the price’
10 months, 4 weeks ago

As India votes, misinformation surges on social media: ‘The whole country is paying the price’

Associated Press  

NEW DELHI — Bollywood stars seldom weigh in on politics, so videos showing two celebrities criticizing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi — and endorsing his main opposition, the Congress party — were bound to go viral. But the clips of A-list actors Aamir Khan and Ranveer Singh were fake, AI-generated videos that were yet another example of the false or …

From Literacy To Alerting Authorities: How Voters Can Be Safeguarded From Malicious Digital Activities During Elections
11 months ago

From Literacy To Alerting Authorities: How Voters Can Be Safeguarded From Malicious Digital Activities During Elections

ABP News  

By Kumar Ritesh 2024 is slated to go down as a turning point in the history of mankind. During election season worldwide, we have seen countries facing issues with deepfakes and audio cloning going viral, attacking the election integrity and impacting citizens’ perspectives on political parties. This January, during the US Democratic Party’s New Hampshire Presidential primary, a robocall mimicking …

Brussels warns social media platforms ahead of EU elections
1 year ago

Brussels warns social media platforms ahead of EU elections

Dutch News  

Social media platforms will face penalties, including legal action, if they do not take steps against disinformation in preparation for the European parliament elections in June, and other elections in Europe this year. The European Commission has published guidelines asking social media to “mitigate systemic risks online that may impact the integrity of elections”. The commission has also called on …

New era of AI deepfakes complicates 2024 elections
1 year, 1 month ago

New era of AI deepfakes complicates 2024 elections

Live Mint  

The explosion of artificial-intelligence technology makes it easier than ever to deceive people on the internet, and is turning the 2024 U.S. presidential election into an unprecedented test on how to police deceptive content. Two weeks later, the New Hampshire attorney general’s office said it identified a Texas-based company named Life Corp.as the source of the calls and that it …

How bad is social-media misinformation going to get?
1 year, 1 month ago

How bad is social-media misinformation going to get?

Live Mint  

Get Offline Mass propaganda has infected the world for generations. —Evan Carlisle, Ohio University, mathematics Government Should Provide a Framework Misinformation poses an escalating problem that government officials and tech companies must face. —HeavenLee Vasquez, Baylor University, finance and management Do Your Research We take much of what we see on social media at face value, especially if it’s something …

Thousands of fake Facebook accounts shut down by Meta were primed to polarize voters ahead of 2024
1 year, 4 months ago

Thousands of fake Facebook accounts shut down by Meta were primed to polarize voters ahead of 2024

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Someone in China created thousands of fake social media accounts designed to appear to be from Americans and used them to spread polarizing political content in an apparent effort to divide the U.S. ahead of next year’s elections, Meta said Thursday. “Foreign threat actors are attempting to reach people across the internet ahead of next year’s elections, and …

‘Misinformation is our bigger concern than deepfake’: Karnataka IT minister after Centre's move
1 year, 4 months ago

‘Misinformation is our bigger concern than deepfake’: Karnataka IT minister after Centre's move

Hindustan Times  

Karnataka IT minister Priyank Kharge said the misinformation and circulation of fake news is a bigger threat to democracy as compared to artificial intelligence-generated deepfake content. His comments came after the central government announced a crackdown on deepfake content on social media, even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised concerns over its misuse. The Supreme Court has already expressed its …

Why the fight to counter false election claims may be harder in 2024
1 year, 4 months ago

Why the fight to counter false election claims may be harder in 2024

NPR  

Why the fight to counter false election claims may be harder in 2024 Enlarge this image toggle caption Brandon Bell/Getty Images Brandon Bell/Getty Images In Marion County, Fla., elections supervisor Wesley Wilcox has stopped using the word "misinformation." Sponsor Message Another feature of DHS's election security work that seems to be fading into the background is a website called "Rumor …

How the fog of war spun rumors of terrorism out of a deadly Long Beach crash
1 year, 5 months ago

How the fog of war spun rumors of terrorism out of a deadly Long Beach crash

LA Times  

A car struck pedestrians in a crosswalk as well as vehicles in the Oct. 14 crash at Shoreline Drive and Aquarium Way in Long Beach. “In such turbulent times, like the one we’re experiencing now, misinformation and disinformation can spread like wildfire and in turn further fueling tension and widespread misinformation,” Goldenberg said. Allison Gallagher, a Long Beach police spokesperson, …

Disinformation Experts Change Tactics For 2024 Election
1 year, 5 months ago

Disinformation Experts Change Tactics For 2024 Election

Huff Post  

Kate Starbird had been studying online conspiracy theories for years when she realized last year that she was at the center of one. “Next year might be one of the worst times we have seen, and maybe the worst time we have seen, for the spread of election-related mis- and disinformation.” Ending The ‘Golden Age’ Of Access After Trump was …

Deep dive into Meta’s algorithms shows that America’s political polarization has no easy fix
1 year, 8 months ago

Deep dive into Meta’s algorithms shows that America’s political polarization has no easy fix

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The powerful algorithms used by Facebook and Instagram to deliver content to users have increasingly been blamed for amplifying misinformation and political polarization. In response to the papers, Meta’s president for global affairs, Nick Clegg, said the findings showed “there is little evidence that key features of Meta’s platforms alone cause harmful ‘affective’ polarization or has any meaningful …

Column: Social media promised us democracy — but gave us dictatorships
1 year, 8 months ago

Column: Social media promised us democracy — but gave us dictatorships

LA Times  

Former Facebook product manager Frances Haugen says she became a whistleblower after coming to believe Mark Zuckerberg’s absolute control of the company made it impervious to reform. “Thirty-plus people across the company,” Haugen recalls in her new book, “ The Power of One,” convened to determine the “conditions under which Facebook should step in and take down speech from political …

Social Media Often Misused To "Manipulate Political Choices Of Voters", May Eventually Hijack Democratic Setup: Karnataka High Court
1 year, 9 months ago

Social Media Often Misused To "Manipulate Political Choices Of Voters", May Eventually Hijack Democratic Setup: Karnataka High Court

Live Law  

Social media has been used to manipulate political choices of voters, perniciously affecting the democratic setup of constitutional institutions, the Karnataka High Court observed on Friday. A single judge bench of Justice Krishna S Dixit said emergence of social media has changed the way in which people participate in the democratic process. "People increasingly rely on social media than their …

New research shows that Donald Trump's fascist attacks on democracy may have backfired
2 years, 2 months ago

New research shows that Donald Trump's fascist attacks on democracy may have backfired

Raw Story  

The internet and social media are a type of experience machine. As many democracy experts and other observers have concluded, Trump's rise to power was empowered by the internet, social media, and how the American right wing has spent several decades creating a parallel media machine and other institutions that together function as a type of alternate universe for its …

World Insights: US -- "the greatest propagator" of disinformation
2 years, 3 months ago

World Insights: US -- "the greatest propagator" of disinformation

China Daily  

The US Capitol building is seen in Washington, D.C., the United States, Nov. 4, 2022. "Social media has created a new environment where public opinion can be manipulated at a very large scale," Watt said. According to evidence presented by the Cuban government in July 2021, since mid-June of that year, some anti-Cuban forces in the United States, with the …

Twitter slow to act on misleading U.S. election content, experts say
2 years, 4 months ago

Twitter slow to act on misleading U.S. election content, experts say

The Hindu  

Election experts reported the spread of new falsehoods across Twitter and other social media services on Tuesday as Americans voted in midterm elections, four days after Twitter Inc. fired half its staff and new owner Elon Musk tweeted a recommendation to vote for Republican candidates. The nonpartisan watchdog group Common Cause, which monitors social media for voter suppression efforts, said …

Misinformation and the midterm elections: What to expect
2 years, 4 months ago

Misinformation and the midterm elections: What to expect

Associated Press  

Conspiracy theories about mail ballots. Misinformation about the upcoming midterm elections has been building for months, challenging election officials and tech companies while offering another reminder of how conspiracy theories and distrust are shaping America’s politics. “The single galvanizing narrative is that the 2020 election was stolen.” A look at key misinformation challenges heading into the 2022 election: MISLEADING CLAIMS …

Social media platforms have done ‘half-measures’ to root out election disinformation
2 years, 5 months ago

Social media platforms have done ‘half-measures’ to root out election disinformation

LA Times  

Baseless claims about election fraud continue to flourish on popular internet platforms ahead of the midterms, despite what the companies say have been efforts to contain them. A Facebook search for the words “election fraud” first delivers an article claiming that workers at a Pennsylvania children’s museum are brainwashing children so they’ll accept stolen elections. While platforms like Twitter, TikTok, …

Social media platforms brace for midterm elections mayhem
2 years, 5 months ago

Social media platforms brace for midterm elections mayhem

Associated Press  

A Facebook search for the words “election fraud” first delivers an article claiming that workers at a Pennsylvania children’s museum are brainwashing children so they’ll accept stolen elections. While platforms like Twitter, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube say they’ve expanded their work to detect and stop harmful claims that could suppress the vote or even lead to violent confrontations, a review …

Social media platforms brace for U.S. midterm elections mayhem
2 years, 5 months ago

Social media platforms brace for U.S. midterm elections mayhem

The Hindu  

A Facebook search for the words “election fraud” first delivers an article claiming that workers at a Pennsylvania children's museum are brainwashing children so they'll accept stolen elections. While platforms like Twitter, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube say they've expanded their work to detect and stop harmful claims that could suppress the vote or even lead to violent confrontations, a review …

Social media platforms brace for midterm elections mayhem
2 years, 5 months ago

Social media platforms brace for midterm elections mayhem

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A Facebook search for the words “election fraud” first delivers …

Social media platforms brace for midterm elections mayhem
2 years, 5 months ago

Social media platforms brace for midterm elections mayhem

Al Jazeera  

Misinformation about voting and elections abounds on social media despite promises by tech companies to curb these. A Facebook search for the words “election fraud” first delivers an article claiming that workers at a Pennsylvania children’s museum are brainwashing children so they will accept stolen elections. While platforms like Twitter, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube say they have expanded their work …

Twitter’s new crisis misinformation policy: All you need to know
2 years, 10 months ago

Twitter’s new crisis misinformation policy: All you need to know

Al Jazeera  

Twitter has announced a new plan to fight false claims in times of crisis, including war, health emergencies, and big natural disasters. Twitter has decided to launch a new policy that aims to step up its fight against misinformation and the spread of false allegations on the social media platform during times of crisis. Under the new policy, Twitter will …

Majority of social media users not bothered about absolute facts: Report
2 years, 10 months ago

Majority of social media users not bothered about absolute facts: Report

Hindustan Times  

NEW DELHI: The majority of social media users are not bothered about absolute facts and only confirm or verify online information where the ‘alleged individual events were less important than the overall narrative’, according to a report by the Future of India Foundation titled ‘Politics of Disinformation’. “The key takeaway from the focus group discussions is that not only have …

Ex-US President Obama Blames Social Media for 'Weakening of Democracy' Around the World
2 years, 11 months ago

Ex-US President Obama Blames Social Media for 'Weakening of Democracy' Around the World

News 18  

Former President Barack Obama has claimed that the way people consume and share information is eroding democracy around the world, and he blamed the current information ecology, which is fueled by social media corporations, for “turbocharging some of humanity’s worst impulses”. Obama said social media companies’ decisions regarding content moderation and the use of algorithms to rank posts “have made …

Obama says social media misinformation is hurting democracy
2 years, 11 months ago

Obama says social media misinformation is hurting democracy

LA Times  

The design of social media platforms is “tilting us in the wrong direction” by feeding users hate speech, misinformation and sensationalism, former President Obama warned in a speech at Stanford University. While Obama acknowledged that some of the most odious content, such as racism, white supremacy and conspiracy theories, existed “long before the first tweet was sent,” he argued that …

Sonia Gandhi says social media being abused to hack democracy
3 years ago

Sonia Gandhi says social media being abused to hack democracy

The Hindu  

The danger of social media being abused to hack democracy was rising and the government should put an end to the “systematic interference” of Facebook and other social media giants in electoral politics of the world’s largest democracy, Congress president Sonia Gandhi said on Wednesday. Raising the issue during the Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha, Ms. Gandhi stated that …

What will 2022 bring in the way of misinformation on social media? 3 experts weigh in
3 years, 3 months ago

What will 2022 bring in the way of misinformation on social media? 3 experts weigh in

Salon  

At the end of 2020, it seemed hard to imagine a worse year for misinformation on social media, given the intensity of the presidential election and the trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic. Absent regulation, misinformation will get worse Anjana Susarla, Professor of Information Systems, Michigan State University While misinformation has always existed in media – think of the Great Moon …

A New Year in misinformation: What garbage will spread on social media in 2022?
3 years, 3 months ago

A New Year in misinformation: What garbage will spread on social media in 2022?

Salon  

At the end of 2020, it seemed hard to imagine a worse year for misinformation on social media, given the intensity of the presidential election and the trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic. Social media platforms have morphed into public information utilities that control how most people view the world, which makes misinformation they facilitate a fundamental problem for society. The …

Social media giants warned to prevent fake accounts from polluting political debate by Victorian parliamentary inquiry
3 years, 6 months ago

Social media giants warned to prevent fake accounts from polluting political debate by Victorian parliamentary inquiry

ABC  

Social media giants must do more to eliminate fake accounts and political parties must establish an online code of conduct, a multi-party Victorian parliamentary inquiry has recommended. "There are people who use social media to abuse, mislead and manipulate others," committee chair and Labor MP Lee Tarlamis said. "Political parties can help by developing a code of conduct for social …

Election & Voting Processes Stand Threatened By Social Media Manipulation, Says Supreme Court
3 years, 8 months ago

Election & Voting Processes Stand Threatened By Social Media Manipulation, Says Supreme Court

Live Law  

Election and voting processes stand threatened by social media manipulation, the Supreme Court remarked in the judgment delivered on Thursday in Facebook vs. Delhi Assembly case.Entities like Facebook have to remain accountable to those who entrust them with such power. Election and voting processes stand threatened by social media manipulation, the Supreme Court remarked in the judgment delivered on Thursday …

Facebook must take responsibility for content on its platform: SC
3 years, 8 months ago

Facebook must take responsibility for content on its platform: SC

The Hindu  

In a stinging judgment, the Supreme Court on Thursday said giant social media platforms like Facebook, whose active users account for over one-third of the global population, cannot evade responsibility by “simplistically” claiming they have no power over the third-party information they display. Delhi riots | Legislative Assembly has no power to call Facebook official, Centre tells Supreme Court “But …

How India Is Confronting Disinformation On Social Media Ahead Of Elections
3 years, 11 months ago

How India Is Confronting Disinformation On Social Media Ahead Of Elections

NPR  

How India Is Confronting Disinformation On Social Media Ahead Of Elections As Prime Minister Modi's party tries to win control in upcoming elections in India, his party is using a highly effective social media strategy. LAUREN FRAYER, BYLINE: At an election rally last month in West Bengal, Eastern India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi bragged about the crowd he drew. FRAYER: …

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