The ruling Conservative Party circulated a doctored video that made it look as if an opposition leader had been stumped when asked about his position on Brexit, then during a leaders’ debate the party’s press office temporarily rebranded its website as a fact-checking service. The Labour Party has also sought to co-opt the roll of independent fact-checker, rolling out a website called The Insider, which calls on voters to “trust the facts.”
“It’s the Wild West out there,’’ said Matt Walsh, who researches digital political communication at the University of Cardiff. “The parties can pretty much do what they want in terms of putting political messages out there and they can do what they want in terms of upsetting social media users.’’
Britain’s electoral laws, like those of most countries, were largely written before the dawn of the internet, meaning social media campaigns are mostly unregulated and open to exploitation by a new generation of political strategists who grew up with the technology. While Russia was able to exploit these loopholes in an effort to disrupt the 2016 U.S. presidential election, the big story of 2019 may be the willingness of Britain’s political parties themselves to push the boundaries of truth, transparency and reality.
This story is from the Techlife News #423 edition of Techlife News.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the Techlife News #423 edition of Techlife News.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Apple Set to Unveil New iPads at
Apple Inc. has officially announced its upcoming “Let Loose” event scheduled for May 7, signaling a significant showcase of new hardware, specifically focusing on the iPad line.
META UNDER FIRE FROM EUROPEAN UNION FOR NOT DOING ENOUGH ABOUT ELECTION DISINFORMATION
The European Union said this week that it’s investigating Facebook and Instagram for suspected violations of the bloc’s digital rulebook, including not doing enough to protect users from foreign disinformation ahead of EU-wide elections.
SCAMMERS STOLE MORE THAN $3.4 BILLION FROM OLDER AMERICANS LAST YEAR, AN FBI REPORT SAYS
Scammers stole more than $3.4 billion from older Americans last year, according to an FBI report released this week that shows a rise in losses through increasingly sophisticated criminal tactics to trick the vulnerable into giving up their life savings.
THE TIKTOK LAW KICKS OFF A NEW SHOWDOWN BETWEEN BEIJING AND WASHINGTON.WHAT'S COMING NEXT?
TikTok is gearing up for a legal fight against a U.S. law that would force the social media platform to break ties with its China-based parent company, a move almost certainly backed by Chinese authorities as the bitter U.S.China rivalry threatens the future of a wildly popular way for young people in America to connect online.
LAWMAKERS AND ADVOCATES MAKE LAST-DITCH PUSH TO EXTEND AFFORDABLE INTERNET SUBSIDY
Twenty-three million families in the U.S. will have bigger internet bills starting in May. That’s because a federal broadband subsidy program they’re enrolled in is nearly out of money.
SAMSUNG REPORTS A 10-FOLD INCREASE IN PROFIT AS AI DRIVES REBOUND IN MEMORY CHIP MARKETS
Samsung Electronics reported this week a 10fold increase in operating profit for the last quarter as the expansion of artificial intelligence technologies drives a rebound in the markets for computer memory chips.
ELIMINATION OF TESLA'S CHARGING DEPARTMENT RAISES WORRIES AS EVS FROM OTHER AUTOMAKERS JOIN NETWORK
Elon Musk’s move to lay off the department responsible for Tesla’s electric vehicle chargers has touched off worries in the auto industry that EVs from other automakers will have trouble joining Tesla’s network.
AMAZON REPORTS STRONG 1Q RESULTS DRIVEN BY ITS CLOUD-COMPUTING UNIT AND PRIME VIDEO AD DOLLARS
Amazon reported this week strong results for the first quarter, driven by growth in its cloud computing unit and new advertising dollars from its Prime Video streaming service.
FCC FINES WIRELESS CARRIERS FOR SHARING USER LOCATIONS WITHOUT CONSENT
The Federal Communications Commission has leveraged nearly $200 million in fines against wireless carriers AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon for illegally sharing customers' location data without their consent.
JOURNALISTS CRITICAL OF THEIR OWN COMPANIES CAUSE HEADACHES FOR NEWS ORGANIZATIONS
This spring, NBC News, The New York Times and National Public Radio have each dealt with turmoil for essentially the same reason: journalists taking the critical gaze they deploy to cover the world and turning it inward at their own employers.