A federal report confirming the use of false social media posts to try to manipulate last springB次元官网网址檚 Alberta election points to dangers for the upcoming federal vote, political scientists say.
B次元官网网址淎bsolutely!B次元官网网址� said Duane Bratt of CalgaryB次元官网网址檚 Mount Royal University.
B次元官网网址淚 think there are greater opportunities in the federal election. What the bots did is exploit already existing cleavages in society B次元官网网址� and federally, there are great divides.B次元官网网址�
On Friday, Global Affairs Canada released a report from the Rapid Response Mechanism. Created after the G7 meeting in Charleboix, Que., it is intended to help monitor and understand how the manipulation of social media can influence democratic politics.
Because the environment was expected to play a large role in last springB次元官网网址檚 Alberta election, the agency decided to examine the province as a test case for the upcoming federal ballot.
It found significant, organized use of fake social media accounts.
B次元官网网址�(We) identified communities that demonstrated a suspicious account creation pattern that is indicative of troll or bot activity,B次元官网网址� the report said.
B次元官网网址淚t was mainly comprised of supporters of the United Conservative Party. The pattern was not identified within communities of supporters of the Alberta Liberal Party or Alberta New Democratic Party.B次元官网网址�
Bots are social media programs that artificially generate social media posts that appear as if written by actual people. Trolls are social media users who intentionally initiate online conflict.
The number of UCP-supporting Twitter accounts nearly doubled in the weeks before the election, the agency found.
The report added that third-party lobby groups were also B次元官网网址渟preading disinformation onlineB次元官网网址� before the balloting.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a distortion of the political process,B次元官网网址� said Chaldeans Mensah, political science professor at EdmontonB次元官网网址檚 MacEwan University.
B次元官网网址淭he basis for assessing political information becomes questionable. WeB次元官网网址檙e relying on computer-generated, outrageous misstatements, outright lies and disinformation.B次元官网网址�
Bratt said such posts arenB次元官网网址檛 trying to sway opinion.
B次元官网网址淚t may be used to suppress voting. It may be used to agitate those that are already in your camp.B次元官网网址�
RELATED:
Duff Conacher of Democracy Watch said such posts should be illegal. Social media companies should be required to verify the identify of anyone making political posts during an election.
B次元官网网址淎 bot is a false scheme aimed at misleading voters,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淪o is anyone posing as 20 different people.B次元官网网址�
Conacher criticized the federal Liberals for weakening laws that would have helped control bot activity. He said Canada is heading for the kind of polarized, online free-for-all that characterized the last U.S. presidential election.
Christine Myatt, spokeswoman for Premier Jason Kenney, downplayed the reportB次元官网网址檚 significance. She pointed out his United Conservatives won with a large majority.
B次元官网网址淭he growing number of inauthentic troll accounts online is a disturbing trend but, as the report states, there is nothing to suggest that these accounts in any way influenced the results of the election,B次元官网网址� she said in an emailed statement.
Bratt said he doubts UCP officials were directly involved in organizing the bots. But the response of party supporters to the report has been similar to how supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump or the U.K.B次元官网网址檚 planned Brexit reacted to criticism, he said.
The UCP is initiating its own review of social media. As part of its inquiry into the influence and funding of environmental groups, the government will be referring to U.S. investigations into the activity of Russian social media bots.
Bob Weber, The Canadian Press
Like us on and follow us on
