Platforms and the U.S. Election: An Autopsy
Ahead of the November 3 presidential election, the internet’s biggest platforms prepared themselves for a whirlwind disinformation. Misleading headlines, outright lies, false claims of victory, and fake content had the potential to go viral — and mislead millions of voters.
Now, in the days after the election, the world is still reckoning with whether or not platforms did their part. How effective were specific tactics, like adding content labels, rejecting ads, and halting recommendations? How are platforms coping with the current spike in disinformation about the results? And what can we learn for future elections?
Ifeoma Ozoma (@ifeomaozoma), the Founder and Principal of Earthseed, a consulting firm supporting individuals, organizations, and companies on issues relating to public policy, health misinformation, and related communications.
Karen Kornbluh (@karenkornbluh), who leads the German Marshall Fund’s Digital Innovation and Democracy Initiative to ensure technology supports democracies around the globe; and as chair of the Open Technology Fund, a government-funded nonprofit advancing global Internet freedom.
Davey Alba (@daveyalba), technology reporter covering online disinformation for The Times. Earlier she was a senior technology reporter at BuzzFeed News, where her story on how Rodrigo Duterte, president of the Philippines, used Facebook to fuel the drug war in the country, won both a Livingston Award and a Mirror Award.