Online interference mars global elections — report
SAN FRANCISCO — Domestic governments and local actors engaged in online interference in efforts to influence 26 of 30 national elections studied by a democracy watchdog over the past year, according to a report released on Monday.
Freedom House, which is partly funded by the US government, said that Internet-based election interference has become “an essential strategy” for those seeking to disrupt democracy.
Disinformation and propaganda were the most popular tools used, the group said in its annual report. Domestic state and partisan actors used online networks to spread conspiracy theories and misleading memes, often working in tandem with governmentfriendly media personalities and business figures, it said.
Some of those seeking to manipulate elections had evolved tactics to beat technology companies’ efforts to combat false and misleading news, the report said.
In the Philippines, for example, it said candidates paid social media “micro-influencers” to promote their campaigns on Facebook, Inc., Twitter, Inc. and Instagram, where they peppered political endorsements among popular culture content.
Online disinformation was prevalent in the United States around major political events like the November 2018 midterm elections and the confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, the report said.
Freedom House also found more governments enlisting bots and fake accounts to surreptitiously shape online opinions and harass opponents, with such behavior found in 38 of the 65 countries covered in the report.
Social media was also increasingly used for mass surveillance, with authorities in at least 40 countries using advanced social media monitoring programs. —