Category Archives: social media and social protests
“Inside the Russian effort to target Sanders supporters — and help elect Trump”
WaPo:
While much attention has focused on the question of whether the Trump campaign encouraged or conspired with Russia, the effort to target Sanders supporters has been a lesser-noted part of the story. Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III,… Continue reading
“The Democratic Electorate on Twitter Is Not the Actual Democratic Electorate”
NYT’s The Upshot.
Today’s Must-Read from David Leonhardt: “It Isn’t Complicated: Trump Encourages Violence”
“Disinformation in the 2018 U.S. Midterm Elections: Identifying Misattributed Photos and Visual Propaganda against the October 2018 Migrant Caravan”
This post appears at the Free Internet Project.
Don’t miss the Ginni Thomas cameo.
“U.S. Cyber Command operation disrupted Internet access of Russian troll factory on day of 2018 midterms”
WaPo:
The U.S. military blocked Internet access to an infamous Russian entity seeking to sow discord among Americans during the 2018 midterms, several U.S. officials said, a warning that the Kremlin’s operations against the United States are not cost-free.The strike… Continue reading
“Can Peer Pressure Defeat Trump? In 2020, Democrats need millennials to turn out. Vote shaming apps can help.”
Amy Chozick for the NYT.
Ringhand: British Parliamentary Committee, Citing “Insidious Ability” to Mislead Online, Calls for Election Law Changes
The following is a guest post from Lori Ringhand:
A report issued by a British Parliamentary committee generated
headlines this week for its scathing takedown of Facebook’s data management
practices. The report, however, also made detailed suggestions about how to… Continue reading
Must Read: “Secret Experiment in Alabama Senate Race Imitated Russian Tactics”
Somehow missed this NYT story yesterday:
As Russia’s online election machinations came to light last year, a group of Democratic tech experts decided to try out similarly deceptive tactics in the fiercely contested Alabama Senate race, according to people familiar… Continue reading
“Facebook Censors at Random; The social network’s rules on political advertising burden nonprofits and are impossible to understand.”
Domestic Terrorism, President Trump, and the 2018 U.S. Midterm Elections
I am heartbroken for the victims of today’s domestic terrorist attack at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh which has left 11 people dead. These people were praying and celebrating a recent birth with a bris. The killer apparently… Continue reading
“Facebook ‘war room’ scrambles to combat fake election news”
CNET:
On Oct. 7, during the first round of Brazil’s presidential election, Facebookemployees noticed something suspicious on the social network.
A story posted to Facebook incorrectly claimed the election was delayed because of protests. The company’s data scientists and… Continue reading
Americans Learn the Russian Trick of Spreading Disinformation via Social Media
Sheera Frenkel for the NYT:
What Right Wing News did was part of a shift in the flow of online disinformation, falsehoods meant to mislead and inflame. In 2016, before the presidential election, state-backed Russian operatives exploited Facebook and Twitter… Continue reading
“Facebook Launches New Initiative to Help Scholars Assess Social Media’s Impact on Elections”
Release:
Today, Facebook is announcing a new initiative to help provide independent, credible research about the role of social media in elections, as well as democracy more generally. It will be funded by the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, Democracy… Continue reading