The ugly side of social media

AUTHORITARIAN GOVERNMENTS USING IT TO MANIPULATE INFORMATION Proof that Russian-backed entities sow political discord to weaken democracy.

Just a few years ago, Facebook and Twitter were hailed as tools for democracy activists, enabling movements like the Arab Spring to flourish. But fears are growing over how social media may have been manipulated to disrupt the US election, and over how authoritarian governments are using the networks to clamp down on dissent.

Facebook and Twitter have acknowledged that Russian-backed entities used their network to spread disinformation and sow political discord.

“Both services are ripe for abuse and manipulation by all sorts of problematic people, including hostile intelligence services,” says Andrew Weisburd of the Alliance for Securing Democracy, a project created this year to counter what it claims are efforts by Russia to undermine democracy and democratic institutions.

“What we have seen from the Kremlin in recent years is a direct by-product of what they have done to the Russian people in order to keep [President Vladimir] Putin and his cronies in power.”

Researcher Tim Chambers writes in a paper for the left-leaning New Policy Institute that the proliferation of political bots, or automated accounts to make topics go viral, such as those employed last year, are dangerous for elections and democracy

“They fake petition signatures. They skew poll results and recommendation engines,” Chambers said.

“Deceptive bots create the impression that there is grassroots, positive, sustained, human support for a certain candidate, cause, policy or idea. In doing so, they pose a real danger to the political and social fabric of our country.”

Oxford University researchers said in a June report that social networks like Facebook and Twitter, which were intended to be a platform for free expression, “have also become tools for social control” in many countries.

Governments employ large numbers of people to generate content, direct opinion and en- gage with both foreign and domestic audiences, said the report.

The researchers, who studied social media in 28 countries, concluded that every authoritarian regime has social media campaigns targeting their own populations. – AFP