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    October 13, 2024 ABA Task Force for American Democracy

    Manipulating Social Media to Undermine Democracy

    Sanja Kelly, Mai Truong, Adrian Shahbaz, Madeline Earp, and Jessica White; Freedom House; 2017
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    Summary

    In 2017, there was further proliferation in social media misinformation in several countries across the world, including in the United States. In particular, the U.S. saw a proliferation of “fake news,” automated “bot” accounts, and other manipulative methods. While the country’s online environment remained generally free, there was an increase in fabricated news articles, divisive political rhetoric, and harassment of journalists, during and after the presidential election. Additionally, foreign actors attempted to use bots and fabricated news to sway elections.

    Key Findings

    • Online manipulation and disinformation tactics played an important role in elections in at least 18 countries over the past year, including the United States.
    • Disinformation tactics contributed to a seventh consecutive year of overall decline in internet freedom around the world, as did a rise in disruptions to mobile internet service and increases in physical and technical attacks on human rights defenders and independent media.

    Key Recommendations

    “Successfully countering content manipulation and restoring trust in social media—without undermining internet and media freedom—will take time, resources, and creativity. The first steps in this effort should include public education aimed at teaching citizens how to detect fake or misleading news and commentary. In addition, democratic societies must strengthen regulations to ensure that political advertising is at least as transparent online as it is offline. And tech companies should do their part by reexamining the algorithms behind news curation and more proactively disabling bots and fake accounts that are used for antidemocratic ends.”