OAKLAND – Russian operatives are still trying to sow disinformation and discord into the 2020 presidential election, but they are not achieving the reach they enjoyed in 2016, notes Elizabeth Dwoskin, Silicon Valley reporter for the Washington Post. She cites more effective controls and staffing at Facebook and Twitter.
This week, Facebook banned a so-called liberal site sponsored by the Russian effort, as she noted in her report. The project achieved very modest reach, she explains in this interview with Beet.TV
The real problem is homegrown: Misinformation coming from a super divisive political conversation, with “fake news” being bigger than ever – much of this fed by the President, she explains.
Having gotten more adept at blocking foreign interference, the platforms are focused on identifying and labeling misinformation from domestic sources.
With regard to paid media, Facebook has just announced they will ban new political advertising starting one week before the election, Dworskin reports today.
