Page 2 - ARUBA TODAY

A2 UP FRONT
Thursday 2 augusT 2018
Senators: Big task to quash foreign election meddling online

By DEB RIECHMANN and an impossible, thing." hearing, Warner wondered
MARY CLARE JALONICK While lawmakers have aloud about whether there
WASHINGTON (AP) — Re- voiced outrage at the inter- could be some kind of "time
publican senators said ference, they haven't yet out" during rapidly trending
Wednesday that the gov- figured out what the gov- social media stories to de-
ernment faces a momen- ernment can do to combat termine if they are phony or
tous task in preventing for- it. Facebook has resisted real.
eigners from using social regulation over the years, John Kelly, a social scientist
media to interfere in U.S. and the Republican-led and founder of Graphika,
elections, citing concerns Congress has so far been a marketing and analytics
about the First Amendment reluctant to crack down on firm, told the committee
and the sprawling nature of social media companies, that after the 2016 elec-
the internet. even after it was first re- tion, the Internet Research
Experts testifying before the vealed last year that a Rus- Agency, a Russia-based
Senate Intelligence Com- sian internet agency had troll farm that has sowed
mittee said Russia and oth- Senate Intelligence Committee ranking member Sen. Mark manipulated American discord in the U.S. political
Warner, D-Va., speaks to witnesses during a committee hearing
er foreign actors are using on foreign influence operations and their use of social media on social media during and system, "stepped on the
high-tech means to polar- Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2018. after the 2016 election to gas," increasing its use of
ize Americans not only on Associated Press try to further divide Ameri- fake accounts to drive dis-
elections, but also on highly cans on social issues. A bill sention in American soci-
charged issues like race Russia, to manipulate U.S. segregate those people introduced by Democrats ety.
and immigration. The hear- politics ahead of the mid- who are doing this from to regulate the way elec- He said automated ac-
ing came one day after term elections. Americans who have the tion ads are shown on so- counts at the far left and far
Facebook said it had un- "We have bad actors put- right to do this?" asked Sen. cial media has not moved right of the American politi-
covered new sophisticated ting out bad information. James Risch, R-Idaho. "This in the Senate. cal spectrum generate as
efforts, possibly linked to The difficulty is how do you is just an enormous, if not The committee's Repub- many as 25 to 30 times the
lican chairman, Richard number of messages that
Burr of North Carolina, said genuine political accounts
those interfering through put out on an average
social media are trying to day. This results in extremists'
"weaken our country from messages "screaming while
within" and government the majority whispers."
must find a way to respond Laura Rosenberger, who
while maintaining the rights directs the Alliance for Se-
of internet users. curing Democracy at The
"How do you keep the German Marshall Fund
good while getting rid of of the United States, said
the bad?" Burr asked. "That that tech companies need
is the fundamental ques- to share information and
tion in front of us, and it is detail nefarious activities
a complex problem that they are seeing and curtail
intertwines First Amend- them. She praised Face-
ment freedoms, corporate book's announcement but
responsibility, government said Facebook and Twitter
regulation and the right of represent only a segment
innovators to prosper from of the activity.
their work." "The Russian government
Burr said Moscow isn't inter- and its proxies have infil-
fering because it has po- trated and utilized nearly
litical leanings to the right every social media and
or left or because it cares online information plat-
about U.S. elections, but form, including Instagram,
"rather because a weak Reddit, YouTube, Tumblr,
America is good for Russia." 4chan, 9GAG and Pinterest
Sen. Mark Warner, the rank- — flooding the information
ing Democrat on the com- zone to target Americans,"
mittee, said that even after Rosenberger said.
18 months of study, the U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine,
is only scratching the sur- said at the hearing that he
face of Russia's information shudders when he hears
warfare campaign, which the words "regulate the
has revealed the "dark un- internet" — an action he
derbelly" of social media. wants Congress to avoid.
Warner published a list of "There has to be some sort
possible ideas for regula- of national policy that's
tion this week, from giving very clearly articulated,
consumers more control that's public, and that no-
over their data to making tifies our adversaries if you
companies liable for fake do X, Y will happen," King
content that they don't said in an interview after-
take down. But he has not ward with The Associated
settled on a plan. At the Press. q