U.S. prosecutors have charged seven suspects accused of working for the Russian GRU, the country’s military intelligence unit. The Justice Department’s National Security Division alleged the seven hackers were part of “a conspiracy to use computer hacking to obtain non-public, health information about athletes and others in the files of anti-doping agencies in multiple countries, […]
View More Justice Department files criminal charges against seven Russian spies over Fancy Bear cyberattacksCategory: presidential election
Thousands of Twitter accounts that spread fake news during the 2016 election are still active today, say researchers
Fake news and misinformation was a key tactic used by the Russians during the 2016 presidential election to try to sway voters against candidates and sow mistruths and mistrust. Now, with just weeks before the 2018 midterm elections, researchers say things are almost as bad. Research out Thursday by the Knight Foundation found that more […]
View More Thousands of Twitter accounts that spread fake news during the 2016 election are still active today, say researchersTwitter widens its view of bad actors to fight election fiddlers
Twitter has announced more changes to its rules to try to make it harder for people to use its platform to spread politically charged disinformation and thereby erode democratic processes. In an update on its “elections integrity work” yesterday, the company flagged several new changes to the Twitter Rules which it said are intended to provide “clearer […]
View More Twitter widens its view of bad actors to fight election fiddlersSymantec offers free anti-spoofing services to US political campaigns and election groups
Symantec is the latest private security company to offer its expertise to vulnerable political targets on the house. Today the company announced that it would extend its “Project Dolphin” service (dolphins eat phish, get it) to political campaigns, candidates and election officials, all “prime target[s] for malicious actors seeking to influence the outcome of the […]
View More Symantec offers free anti-spoofing services to US political campaigns and election groupsFacebook pilots new political campaign security tools — just 50 days before Election Day
Facebook has rolled out a “pilot” program of new security tools for political campaigns — just weeks before millions of Americans go to the polls for the midterm elections. The social networking giant said it’s targeting campaigns that “may be particularly vulnerable to targeting by hackers and foreign adversaries.” Once enrolled, Facebook said it’ll help […]
View More Facebook pilots new political campaign security tools — just 50 days before Election DayFacebook, Twitter: US intelligence could help us more in fighting election interference
Facebook’s chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg has admitted that the social networking giant could have done more to prevent foreign interference on its platforms, but said that the government also needs to step up its intelligence sharing efforts. The remarks are ahead of an open hearing at the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday, where Sandberg […]
View More Facebook, Twitter: US intelligence could help us more in fighting election interferenceFake news inquiry calls for social media levy to defend democracy
A UK parliamentary committee which has been running a multi-month investigation into the impact of online disinformation on political campaigning — and on democracy itself — has published a preliminary report highlighting what it describes as “significant concerns” over the risks to “shared values and the integrity of our democratic institutions”. It’s calling for “urgent […]
View More Fake news inquiry calls for social media levy to defend democracyRussian indictments show that the U.S. needs federal oversight of election security
Adam Eichen Contributor Share on Twitter Adam Eichen is the author of Daring Democracy: Igniting Power, Meaning, and Connection for the America We Want. He is also an Advisor to EqualCitizens.US Phoebe Wong Contributor Share on Twitter Phoebe Wong is executive director of EqualCitizens.US, a democracy reform non profit based in Washington DC. She was […]
View More Russian indictments show that the U.S. needs federal oversight of election securityCambridge Analytica’s Nix said it licensed “millions of data points” from Acxiom, Experian, Infogroup to target US voters
The repeat grilling by the UK parliament’s DCMS committee today of Alexander Nix, the former CEO of the now ex company Cambridge Analytica — aka the controversial political and commercial ad agency at the center of a Facebook data misuse scandal — was not able to shed much new light on what may or may not […]
View More Cambridge Analytica’s Nix said it licensed “millions of data points” from Acxiom, Experian, Infogroup to target US votersFacebook data misuse firm snubs UK watchdog’s legal order
The company at the center of a major Facebook data misuse scandal has failed to respond to a legal order issued by the U.K.’s data protection watchdog to provide a U.S. voter with all the personal information it holds on him. An enforcement notice was served on Cambridge Analytica affiliate SCL Elections last month and the deadline […]
View More Facebook data misuse firm snubs UK watchdog’s legal orderHow Facebook gives an asymmetric advantage to negative messaging
Andrew Keen Contributor Andrew Keen is the author of three books: Cult of the Amateur, Digital Vertigo and The Internet Is Not The Answer. He produces Futurecast, and is the host of Keen On. More posts by this contributor Facebook co-founder says its rise reveals the fault lines destroying the “American Dream” 2018 might be […]
View More How Facebook gives an asymmetric advantage to negative messagingFacebook data misuse scandal affects “substantially” more than 50M, claims Wylie
Chris Wylie, the former Cambridge Analytica employee turned whistleblower whose revelations about Facebook data being misused for political campaigning has wiped billions off the share price of the company in recent days and led to the FTC opening a fresh investigation, has suggested the scale of the data leak is substantially larger than has been […]
View More Facebook data misuse scandal affects “substantially” more than 50M, claims Wylie