Twitter and Facebook can barely shut down death threats and targeted harassment, let alone combat the problem of fake news. Two sweeping reports from Monday demonstrated in detail the extent and content of Russia’s campaign of disinformation not just on the most politicized social media networks, but also their manipulation of Pinterest, Tumblr, Reddit, Gab, Instagram, and even PayPal.
According to the New Knowledge and Oxford reports, Russia’s Internet Research Agency engaged in the proliferation of both fake news and divisive memes across multiple platforms, and they targeted African-Americans in particular. The NAACP has already called for a boycott of Facebook, where fake accounts like Black Matters and Blactivist specifically stoked racial tensions with fake news, calls to forgo voting in elections, and intentionally stirring racial animus.
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