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Phony 'fact check' account on Twitter raises new concerns
Source: Associated Press
Phony `fact check’ account on Twitter raises new concerns
By BARBARA ORTUTAY
November 20, 2019
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The deception was easy to pull off and came with barely any consequences.
Britain’s Conservative Party changed the name of its press office’s Twitter account to “factcheckUK” during a televised election debate between Prime Minister Boris Johnson and opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn this week.
The renaming made the account look like a neutral fact-checker, raising new concerns about all the creative ways groups and individuals can use social media to deceive voters.
The party hardly even got a slap on the wrist, as Twitter pledged to take “decisive corrective action” only if the Conservatives try to mislead people again.
The incident occurred after years of promises, new rules and millions of dollars spent by social media companies to prevent election interference following Russia’s meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
-snip-
By BARBARA ORTUTAY
November 20, 2019
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The deception was easy to pull off and came with barely any consequences.
Britain’s Conservative Party changed the name of its press office’s Twitter account to “factcheckUK” during a televised election debate between Prime Minister Boris Johnson and opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn this week.
The renaming made the account look like a neutral fact-checker, raising new concerns about all the creative ways groups and individuals can use social media to deceive voters.
The party hardly even got a slap on the wrist, as Twitter pledged to take “decisive corrective action” only if the Conservatives try to mislead people again.
The incident occurred after years of promises, new rules and millions of dollars spent by social media companies to prevent election interference following Russia’s meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
-snip-
Read more: https://apnews.com/6d007bd571024031a327cec509242037