FBI warning: Don't believe everything you hear about this year's election
Election Day is drawing closer, and Americans from all corners of the country are ready to cast their votes and decide who represents us at the highest levels of government.
Back in 2016, we witnessed social media and technology play a bigger role than ever before. And this time around, election watchers are paying closer attention to how ads and influence campaigns play a role in voter behavior. Tap or click here to see how political ads have changed in 2020.
Despite years of experience running elections, our national security agencies are urging voters to be on the lookout for disinformation campaigns. Bad actors are working overtime online to spread rumors of hacked voter registrations — with a goal to spread chaos and distrust. Here’s what we know, and what you should be aware of before pulling the lever.
CIA warns voters of sophisticated disinformation campaigns.
Back in 2016, the presidential election was anything but routine. Between cyberattacks, social media leaks and state-sponsored disinformation, there was no shortage of controversy coming from both sides of the political spectrum.
But this time around, we have more than Facebook and Cambridge Analytica to worry about. Tap or click here to see how you can find out if your Facebook data was stolen in 2016.
According to a bulletin posted by the FBI’s cybersecurity unit CISA, a major disinformation campaign is underway with the goal of undermining public trust in the 2020 election. The FBI cites “foreign actors and cybercriminals” as responsible for the efforts, and advises the public to be skeptical about any unusual claims about voter purges and digital interference.
Reports of foreign interference in the election are nothing new — and thanks to a detailed analysis of previous efforts, we may be better equipped to figure out how countries like Russia, China and Iran are spreading disinformation. Tap or click here to see why the U.S. government is banning TikTok over its connections to China.
What are these bad actors claiming about the election? So far, the main campaign the FBI has detected involves claims of hacked voter registration lists and purged voter rolls. According to the disinformation, this would prevent people from being able to vote or result in actual votes being discarded.
The end result: A sham election where people didn’t actually choose their government officials. And what could be better for our adversaries than to see the U.S. in denial that their government is legitimate?
Is there any truth to this disinformation? How secure is our election tech?
Facebook is paying users to QUIT before the election
We’ve been saying that you should take a break from Facebook for some time now, but it’s no longer just data and privacy issues you need to worry about. There’s now a financial incentive to cut down your use.
Recently, Facebook announced that it would be reserving its right to delete or block any content that can potentially put it in legal trouble. The exact specifics of this are vague — and probably intentional. Tap or click here to see the changes Facebook made.
Remove annoying political posts from Facebook with this trick
What a decade this year has been! Between global pandemics, social unrest and the confirmation that UFOs are real, many of us are starting to get whiplash already. But there are still surprises in store for 2020 — especially as election season draws near.
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Though candidates started hitting the campaign trail last year, the arrival of 2020 marks the official start of election season. And where there’s a U.S. Presidential election, there’s ample opportunity for political ads, disinformation campaigns and other digital mischief.
What you need to know about political ads in 2020
With the new year comes the next major election, now only months away. That means we’re about to be subject to a constant news cycle of election coverage and a steady stream of social media posts from your most opinionated relatives.