Tech platforms need to do more to avoid engaging in potential political violence

At the end of March, we convened a working group of experts on social media, election integrity, extremism, and political violence to discuss the relationship between online platforms and election-related political violence. The goal is to make real and effective recommendations for platforms to take to ensure their products do not foster the potential for political violence, especially before and after the November US general election. It was to provide, but this comes with consequences. For states around the world.

Today, we published a paper summarizing the working group’s consensus, titled Preventing political violence through technology: What online platforms can do to avoid contributing to election-related violence. We believe this issue is of great urgency given the current threat landscape in the United States. While it may seem increasingly futile to rely on online platforms to “do the right thing” in the absence of appropriate regulation or business incentives, there is a need to shape public debate and encourage these companies to act more responsibly. We believe there is still an important role for independent experts to play in identifying areas where more can be done.

Signs of potential political violence are increasing

The attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 has a major impact on the 2024 election cycle. Former President Donald Trump and many Republican political elites continue to make false claims about the 2020 election results, providing potential basis for a move to delegitimize this November’s results. .

But such rhetoric is just one catalyst that could spark political violence in the United States this political season. In this month’s special feature on this theme, new york times Across the country, “an undercurrent of violence and physical danger has become the new normal,” particularly against public servants and democratic institutions. And a Brennan Center survey conducted this spring found that 38% of election officials have experienced violent threats. And add to this already threatening environment, conflicts over Israeli and Gaza protests on college campuses and major cities, potentially controversial developments in the former president’s various trials, and potential threats against LGBTQ+ people. Adds warnings from the FBI and Department of Homeland Security. Pride event this summer. Unfortunately, the likelihood of political violence in the United States appears to be increasing.

Ignoring technology platforms could make the situation worse

What role will online platforms play in this threat environment? It is unclear whether major platforms are ready for this moment. Many platforms have rolled back their moderation policies against false claims of election fraud, shattered their trust and safety teams, and appear to be wading through a growing wave of threats against judges and election officials. These developments suggest that platforms are ignoring the lessons of the past few years, both in the U.S. and abroad. For example, one year after January 6, supporters of outgoing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro used social media to organize and mobilize attacks on government buildings. And an American Progress investigation into the 2022 U.S. midterm elections found that “social media companies have once again refused to address their collusion in fomenting hatred and information failure…With key exceptions, companies are once again making spurious changes.” and offered empty promises without proper substantiation.” staffing and resources; ”

Platforms’ failure to prepare for election violence suggests that 2024 will mirror 2020 in many ways. Prior to that election, two of the authors (Eisenstat and Kreis) convened a working group of experts to clarify what platforms needed to do to protect the election. . Sadly, platforms are not following these recommendations and enforcing false voting restrictions for all users (including political leaders), explicitly disputing election disinformation, and amplifying reliable election information. It has largely ignored these and many other recommendations from independent researchers and civil society organizations, including: Platforms failed to adequately follow such recommendations, as documented in a draft report on the role of social media in the Capitol attack prepared by the House Select Committee on the Jan. 6 attack. This helped create the backdrop for January 6th. .

Recommendations

To avoid similar outcomes, we suggest several steps that platforms can and should take if they want to ensure that they do not promote political violence. None of the recommendations are entirely new. In fact, many of them are consistent with any number of papers that scholars and civil society leaders have published over the years. However, despite the short time to implementation, these need to be iterated.

The full seven recommendations and details can be found in our report, but in general they focus on a few themes where online platforms currently fall short.

• The platform must: Develop robust criteria for threat assessment and engage in scenario planningcrisis management training, and collaboration with external stakeholders as transparently as possible.
• The platform should be Implement clear and enforceable content moderation policies We address election integrity year-round and proactively address election denialism and potential threats to election officials.
• politicians and others People with political influence should not receive exemptions. From content policies and special treatment from platforms. Platforms must enforce rules uniformly.
• The platform must: Clearly explain important content moderation decisions We will be transparent during the election period, especially when it comes to moderating high-profile accounts.

This election cycle, much of the discussion around technology accountability has shifted to what to do about deceptive uses of AI. But distribution channels for AI-generated content still operate primarily through online platforms, where in 2020 users spread the “Stop the Steal” narrative and ultimately emboldened those who engaged in political violence at the U.S. Capitol. We will continue to focus on these open issues in the hope that growing demands for accountability will encourage platforms to act more responsibly and prioritize the risks of political violence at home and abroad.