How the Changing Social Media Landscape Could Hamper the Fight Against Disinformation from Both Foreign and Domestic Bad Actors

Brian Beihl

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Dec. 28, 2023

Today’s Script

(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time. Today’s Links below the script)

You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

We reported recently on Russia’s anticipated 2024 election influence campaign, much of which is based on exploitation of social media platforms. But under free speech pressure from American Conservative activists, social media platforms have stripped out even the modest protections which existed in 2020.

Those activists complained that policing false claims of election fraud on social media platforms suppressed their First Amendment rights, and that the banning of Donald Trump from Twitter and Facebook showed liberal bias.   Those complaints worked.  A report from watchdog group Free Press, which advocates for accountability from the press and social media platforms, shows 17 content-policing policies which Meta, Twitter and YouTube have eliminated since November 2022.

Compounding the issue may be a lack of humans to moderate disinformation, due to the layoff by social media companies of almost 41,000 people, according to Free Press.

Litigation since 2020 has also taken a toll on finding and stopping disinformation.    In July 2023, a federal judge banned the federal government from, “encouraging, pressuring, or inducing in any manner the removal, deletion, suppression, or reduction of content containing protected free speech.”  

Add AI,and misinformation, disinformation and influence could be worse in 2024, not better. 

See the recommendations from watchdog Free Press to control disinformation at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
Free Press – How Social-Media Rollbacks Endanger Democracy Ahead of the 2024 Elections
Associated Press – Judge’s order limits government contact with social media operators, raises disinformation questions
NPR – Why the fight to counter false election claims may be harder in 2024
Center for American Progress – (2022) Social Media and the 2022 Midterm Elections: Anticipating Online Threats to Democratic Legitimacy

Groups Taking Action:
Common Cause, Disinformation Defense League,  Protect Democracy

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