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Warren Demands Tech Companies Fight Disinformation

Warren Vows to Fight Disinformation, Cites Domestic Threats

(Bloomberg) -- Senator Elizabeth Warren called on big tech companies to fight disinformation as both foreign and domestic actors continue to try to change the course of U.S. elections by spreading falsehoods via social media.

In a policy proposal released just days before the first nominating contest in Iowa, Warren said she would push to create new civil and criminal penalties for knowingly spreading disinformation that jeopardizes or suppresses voting. Warren demanded that the companies share more information about their algorithms, which she argues would provide transparency and insight for researchers, policy makers and the public as to how they contribute to spreading false or misleading content.

Disinformation was one of the tools the Russian government employed in 2016 to attempt to influence the election, by creating false accounts and content on social media that sought to benefit the Republican Party and hurt the Democrats. Warren, a vocal critic of big tech companies, has frequently called on them to address the issue, but the plan released Wednesday has penalties and other specific details.

“The same tactics employed by the Russian government are just as easily accessible to domestic groups seeking to promote or oppose candidates and political or social issues,” Warren said.

In October, she intentionally bought a false political advertisement on Facebook that included false claims about Mark Zuckerberg and President Donald Trump, to make a point about the social network’s lack of action. As a presidential candidate, Warren vowed to fight disinformation by preventing her campaign staff and surrogates from knowingly spreading false or manipulated information on social media, including false news or edited photos, video or audio and any content from fake accounts.

“Facebook and Twitter have focused their efforts on banning fake accounts and identifying foreign interference, but not all disinformation comes from fake accounts or foreign interests,” Warren said, reflecting on a growing consensus that while 2016 drew attention to foreign activity, the biggest threats in 2020 could be domestic.

Citing Russia, Warren said she would consider sanctions against countries that engage in election interference, including penalties for financial institutions that were potentially involved. Warren also urged Facebook Inc, Twitter Inc, Alphabet Inc’s Google, Reddit Inc and TikTok to take active steps to tackle the spread of disinformation.

The call for tech companies to open up their algorithms to scrutiny has been growing louder, but companies have shown little willingness to do so.

Warren also called on her Democratic rivals seeking the nomination to vow not to engage in online attacks to benefit their campaigns.

“Campaigns need to make clear that disinformation has no place in our campaigns, and that we will disavow supporters who embrace it and act quickly to stop its spread,” Warren wrote in Medium post Tuesday. “And anyone who seeks to be the Democratic nominee must condemn the use of disinformation and pledge not to knowingly use it to benefit their own candidacy or damage others.“

Warren’s plan comes as Bernie Sanders, who has been leading in Iowa polls, has seen increased coverage over how his supporters are markedly more aggressive online than those of any other campaign. They go on Twitter and Facebook to enthusiastically defend the Vermont senator, while attacking his opponents and their supporters. Joe Biden’s campaign even urged its active social media supporters to get online and defend him against Sanders.

(Disclaimer: Michael Bloomberg is also seeking the Democratic nomination for president. Bloomberg is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News.)

--With assistance from Joshua Brustein.

To contact the reporter on this story: Misyrlena Egkolfopoulou in Des Moines at megkolfopoul@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Wendy Benjaminson at wbenjaminson@bloomberg.net, Magan Crane, Max Berley

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.