Democrats’ Disinformation Task Force Rapidly Combats Bad Actors Online, Removes Impersonation Accounts
The DCCC’s Disinformation Task Force, built to protect voters against the spread of dangerous disinformation, is rapidly combating disinformation campaigns and monitoring the organic spread of election-related misinformation online. This first of its kind counter-disinformation rapid response team tracks and takes action on inaccurate, misleading, and threatening content online; this includes impersonation accounts on social media platforms like Instagram.
Bloomberg’s Alyza Sebenius writes, “Impostor accounts on social media aren’t new for political candidates, but they are being detected at a higher rate than in previous years, […]. The increase may be partly due to additional investment by Democrats in finding disinformation following a [2016] Russian social media campaign that sought to sow discord […].”
Democrats have made a multi-million dollar investment in the 2020 election cycle to combat the threat disinformation poses in our democracy and protect voters against online attacks launched by bad actors, both foreign and domestic. The DCCC’s rapid response team advises campaigns across the country on how best to combat online threats, and works closely with the major social media platforms to remove fake accounts and threatening content as they arise.
The DCCC has led by example, with Chairwoman Cheri Bustos repeatedly asking the NRCC to join the committee’s pledge to not use hacked or stolen materials in our campaigns. Well over a year later and with less than two months until Election Day, House Republican leadership still refuses to sign on. Perhaps it’s no surprise that according to Bloomberg News, “Republican Party officials didn’t respond to questions” about dangerous online tactics like impersonation that are often used for various scams, including extortion, spreading false information, and sowing doubt in our electoral process.
Statement From DCCC Digital Rapid Response Director Ben Block
“Democrats recognize the dangerous role that the spread of fake, inaccurate, and misleading narratives play in this election cycle. Chairwoman Bustos launched the DCCC’s Disinformation Task Force to protect our democracy against bad actors, and empower voters to make informed decisions at the ballot box. But this work can’t be done by political committees or campaigns alone. Social media platforms need to acknowledge the influence they have in our elections and step up to implement reforms that prevent further damage to our democracy.”
Bloomberg News: Fake Social Media Accounts Seen as Threat in November Election
By Alyza Sebenius | September 1, 2020
When Instagram users searched for Representative Cheri Bustos in July, they encountered two accounts featuring identical images of the congresswoman holding a small goat.
One, “cheribustos,” was her official campaign account. The other, “bustoscherie,” was a fake claiming to be Bustos, a Democrat from Illinois. It was one of dozens that party officials have seen impersonating candidates and campaign staff on Instagram, its parent company Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc. in the lead up to November’s elections.
“Bustoscherie” was discovered before it began posting, but political strategists fear accounts like it are a sign that malicious actors — whether U.S. adversaries or domestic players — are putting down markers on social media that could be activated to spread false information as the election nears.
“We see it as a threat to everyone who is running for office this year,” said Ben Block, the digital rapid response director at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, who leads a team that found social media pages impersonating Democrats ranging from prominent incumbent members of Congress to little-known challengers. The fakes “in every way, shape and form” mimic the real candidates, and they have disproportionately targeted women — particularly women of color — running for office this cycle, he said.
Impostor accounts on social media aren’t new for political candidates, but they are being detected at a higher rate than in previous years, Block said. The increase may be partly due to additional investment by Democrats in finding disinformation following a Russian social media campaign that sought to sow discord and help then-candidate Donald Trump in the last presidential election.
[…]
Facebook and Twitter have created various tools to help protect candidates from impostors, such as badges that can be added to their verified accounts. But Block’s team conducted an audit and found dozens of 2020 candidates that hadn’t been verified or marked with the election badge.
In a statement, Bustos, who is also chair of the DCCC, said social media platforms “need to acknowledge the influence they have in our elections and step up to implement reforms that prevent further damage to our democracy.” Like her, the Democratic National Committee and Biden campaign have also urged social media companies to take more proactive stances on disinformation — rather than placing the burden on others to find and report it. Aside from Bustos, none of the other Democrats who were targeted by impostors were willing to talk publicly about it, Block said.
Block’s team found the account impersonating Bustos on July 22 and notified Instagram. It was removed by the end of the day, but Instagram wouldn’t provide any information about who was behind it or when it was created, Block said.
[…]
###