A week ago I posted an article arguing that the easiest way to throw an election would be to spread disinformation over social networks. Well, we now have proof (independently verified by two parties) that this has already happened.
Two teams of independent researchers found that the Russians exploited American-made technology platforms to attack U.S. democracy at a particularly vulnerable moment, as an insurgent candidate harnessed a wide range of grievances to claim the White House. The sophistication of the Russian tactics may complicate efforts by Facebook and Google to crack down on “fake news,” as they have vowed to do after widespread complaints about the problem.
You really do need to read the whole WaPo article. This is important. Foreign interests are deliberately spreading disinformation in order to not only change the results of US elections, but to destroy America’s standing in the world and to discredit democracy around the world. And it is working.
One Comment
Very interesting article. I made the mistake of starting to look at the comments, then decided I’d be much better off to just close the browser tab. Ugh!