The main social media platform targeted to disseminate disinformation during the 2020 presidential election will likely be Instagram, according to a study by the New York University's Stern Center for Business and Human Rights.
The study was detailed in a report by The Hill on Tuesday.
Instagram is expected to announce an update to its policies on removing "extreme forms of misinformation soon," according to The Hill.
Researchers issued a list of recommendations to social media companies in advance of the election. They include:
- Detect and remove "deepfake" videos. "Realistic but fraudulent videos have the potential to undermine political candidates and exacerbate voter cynicism," the study noted.
- Remove provably false content in general. "Beyond deepfakes, the social media companies should take down provably false content in general," the researchers said.
- Hire a content overseer. "Hand-in-hand with instituting a policy of provably false content goes the appointment of each company of a senior official to oversee the process of guarding against disinformation," the study said.
- Make changes to Instagram. "The problem isn't a lack of technology," researchers noted. "It appears to be a lack of clear strategy for addressing serious problems inherent in Instagram's operating model."
- Defend against for-profit disinformation. "The social media companies must pay more attention to false content distributed by corporations, consultants, and public relations firms," the study said.
The report said Russia, China and Iran are the counties likely to target the election in social media disinformation campaigns, but there will be domestic sources as well.
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