'Distortion, dissembling and digital skulduggery': Disinformation becoming normalized in elections

[CousinIT]

https://www.demdigest.org/distortion-dissembling-and-digital-skulduggery-disinformation-becoming-normalized-in-elections/

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The Russian Federation, as well as organizations, individuals and UK-based entities, attempted to influence the British election by spreading disinformation to alter voter perceptions of the candidates, the Soufan Center adds. The weaponization of ‘deep-fake’ technology in politics and elections in the UK is indicative that disinformation campaigns are becoming a mainstream tactic in the political party playbook, its Cipher Brief reports:

Graphika* a firm that tracks online disinformation campaigns, noted that the Reddit campaign was orchestrated by the Russian Federation. …As these disinformation efforts become more pervasive and occur alongside state-driven disinformation campaigns, it may become increasingly difficult to assess the origins of election meddling. State actors, in fact, may now be in a position where they can decrease disinformation campaigns because their tactics have been co-opted by individuals and political parties. This concern is amplified when social media platforms like Facebook adopt policies that allow for false information in political ads.

“It’s the democratization of misinformation,” said Jacob Davey, a senior researcher at the Institute, a group that monitors global disinformation campaigns. “We’re seeing anyone and everyone picking up these tactics.”

Worldwide, billions of people are exposed to online disinformation, notes researcher Emily Cole, citing a new report which found that 70 states have engaged in coordinated disinformation campaigns on social media in 2019, most often in support of ruling politicians or political parties. They utilize disinformation in three distinct ways: “to suppress fundamental human rights, discredit political opponents, and drown out dissenting opinions,” recent research suggests.

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