What started out as a trickle of news stories suggesting social media was being manipulated to influence public opinion is now turning into a flood.
The Senate Intelligence Committee has summoned executives from Twitter to testify about the role of automated accounts, known as bots, in spreading propaganda and misinformation in the United States. The New York Times says the short form platform may have played a larger role than previously reported in the 2016 elections.
Facebook is giving up images of over three thousand ads paid for (in rubles, according to Sen. Mark Warner) by Russian entities attempting to influence the voting public. There is widespread speculation the $100,000 in direct payments from overseas accounts is just the tip of the iceberg. [Read more…]