Dallas Morning News: Misinformation will be rampant this election cycle. Here’s what voters should look out for
Dallas Morning News: Misinformation will be rampant this election cycle. Here’s what voters should look out for
As Nov. 8 approaches, experts are concerned about the effect misinformation will have on the electorate — and are warning voters to be prepared for false information to spread in ways they might not be used to.
Many of the most-used social-media networks, including Facebook and Twitter, have taken steps in recent years to label and moderate false information. But experts say those companies could be doing more, and are worried about apps like TikTok and WhatsApp that have exploded in popularity since the last election.
“We certainly know elections can, and have been, and will be again decided by a handful of votes, so anything that affects voters has the potential to change the outcome,” said Jesse Littlewood, vice president of campaigns at Common Cause, an advocacy organization whose efforts include fighting mis- and disinformation.
“That would include voter myths or disinformation which could either cause the voter to miss the chance to participate because they believed incorrect information, or cause them to not participate at all because they don’t believe in the integrity of the election process,” Littlewood said. …
The steps a voter should take are “the same whether it’s a tweet, a Facebook post, a WhatsApp chat from your uncle or aunt or a Telegram message from former President Trump,” Littlewood said.
“You should take the same steps of verifying that it’s a trusted source of information and verifying the motivation of who the provider of the information is,” he said. …
Earlier this month, billionaire SpaceX founder Elon Musk indicated he wanted to go through with a $44 billion deal to buy Twitter. Musk has repeatedly said Twitter would look different under his control, and has suggested he would loosen many of the platform’s efforts at moderating content.
“That would take Twitter back many years, if not a decade, in terms of improvements to its platform, content and moderation policies, and would potentially give free rein to individuals who have been removed from the platform because of their negative impacts on our democracy and our society,” Littlewood said.