A federal report confirming the use of false social media posts to try to manipulate last spring91裸聊视频檚 Alberta election points to dangers for the upcoming federal vote, political scientists say.
91裸聊视频淎bsolutely!91裸聊视频� said Duane Bratt of Calgary91裸聊视频檚 Mount Royal University.
91裸聊视频淚 think there are greater opportunities in the federal election. What the bots did is exploit already existing cleavages in society 91裸聊视频� and federally, there are great divides.91裸聊视频�
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 spring91裸聊视频檚 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.
91裸聊视频�(We) identified communities that demonstrated a suspicious account creation pattern that is indicative of troll or bot activity,91裸聊视频� the report said.
91裸聊视频淚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.91裸聊视频�
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 91裸聊视频渟preading disinformation online91裸聊视频� before the balloting.
91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 a distortion of the political process,91裸聊视频� said Chaldeans Mensah, political science professor at Edmonton91裸聊视频檚 MacEwan University.
91裸聊视频淭he basis for assessing political information becomes questionable. We91裸聊视频檙e relying on computer-generated, outrageous misstatements, outright lies and disinformation.91裸聊视频�
Bratt said such posts aren91裸聊视频檛 trying to sway opinion.
91裸聊视频淚t may be used to suppress voting. It may be used to agitate those that are already in your camp.91裸聊视频�
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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.
91裸聊视频淎 bot is a false scheme aimed at misleading voters,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淪o is anyone posing as 20 different people.91裸聊视频�
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 report91裸聊视频檚 significance. She pointed out his United Conservatives won with a large majority.
91裸聊视频淭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,91裸聊视频� 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.91裸聊视频檚 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
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