Neowin: Facebook to bolster Indian political ads transparency. “Facebook has announced that it is taking steps to bring transparency to political ads running in India. The move follows similar rollouts to the U.S., Brazil, and the UK. The move is in anticipation of India’s general election next year and Facebook doesn’t want its platform to be misused by malicious entities to spread false information during the process.”
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Politico: EU to ask Facebook, Twitter, Google for monthly ‘fake news’ reports
Politico: EU to ask Facebook, Twitter, Google for monthly ‘fake news’ reports. “The European Commission is planning to ask social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter and Google for monthly reports on Russian disinformation campaigns ahead of the European election next May, two EU officials told POLITICO.”
Mashable: The midterms had record voter turnout. Should Snapchat get credit?
Mashable: The midterms had record voter turnout. Should Snapchat get credit?. “On Tuesday, Snapchat shared that 1.4 million users visited their Get to the Polls platform, a voting information portal powered by the tech-focused nonprofit organization Democracy Works. Snapchat also registered over 400,000 new voters in the weeks leading up to the election — and over half of those voters were aged 18-24, also known as the coveted but fickle youth vote. Twitter, Instagram, and Facbook ran similar initiatives, though they have yet to release participation numbers.”
TechCrunch: As Taiwan prepares to vote on LGBTQ issues, a homophobic group is running ads before kids videos on YouTube
TechCrunch: As Taiwan prepares to vote on LGBTQ issues, a homophobic group is running ads before kids videos on YouTube . “This Saturday, several issues related to LGBTQ equality, including marriage, are up for referendum in Taiwan’s mid-term elections. A little more than a year after the country’s top court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage, the LGBTQ community is once again fighting for their rights due to efforts by anti-gay groups. The battle has reached social media platforms including YouTube, where a group called 3 Yes is running an ad, often appearing before popular children’s videos, that claims teaching about LGBTQ issues in schools will confuse young children about their gender identity.”
Bloomberg Quint: Ahead of EU Vote, Google Unveils New Policy for Election Ads
Bloomberg Quint: Ahead of EU Vote, Google Unveils New Policy for Election Ads. “Google said it will roll out new policies in Europe to provide more transparency around political ads, ahead of European Union elections in the spring. The announcement Thursday by the Alphabet Inc. division follows a year of intense global scrutiny over how popular internet services were used to spread misinformation during elections. A lack of disclosure about who pays for political ads has been a particular sore point.”
Sahara Reporters: Is Nigeria Ready For A Possible Cyberattack On The 2019 Presidential Election?
Sahara Reporters: Is Nigeria Ready For A Possible Cyberattack On The 2019 Presidential Election? . “The question is: Is Nigeria ready to respond to cyberattack(s) on the 2019 presidential election to protect the integrity of the Election Information Systems and data? More importantly, does Nigeria have the required national cybersecurity technical capabilities, know-hows, tools, processes and professionals to protect the country from any cyber-attack?” Good questions from Paul Omoruyi.
Study: Twitter bots played disproportionate role spreading misinformation during 2016 election (Indiana University Bloomington)
Indiana University Bloomington: Study: Twitter bots played disproportionate role spreading misinformation during 2016 election. “Among the findings: A mere 6 percent of Twitter accounts that the study identified as bots were enough to spread 31 percent of the ‘low-credibility’ information on the network. These accounts were also responsible for 34 percent of all articles shared from ‘low-credibility’ sources.”
