Tackling The Fake Account Challenge
This week, Facebook provided to Congress more than 3,000 ads that ran during the 2016 presidential election. These ads are linked to a Russian ad agency and were turned over to the House and Senate intelligence committees, as well as the Senate Judiciary Committee, as part of the tech company’s cooperation with the investigation into potential Russian meddling in the election.
Facebook is not the only tech company facing scrutiny. Twitter and Google are also cooperating with the probe, and the result of this scrutiny thus far is an increasing public awareness of online influence, fake social media accounts, and automated internet “robots”, or “bots” for short. Taken together, these unfolding developments present a challenging reality at the intersection of technology with government, business, and politics.
Whatever the outcome of the investigation into Russian election meddling, the issue of fake social media accounts is one that business leaders and policymakers will need to grapple with. No matter what steps social media companies take to deter these accounts, they are likely to be a fact of life for some time, if not forever. With that in mind, as we often say at Delve, what you don’t know can hurt you, so here are three important lessons for tackling the fake news challenge before it undermines your interests:
- Know These Fake Accounts Exist: Fake social media accounts are not a new phenomenon. There were more than a dozen services selling fake Twitter accounts as long ago as 2013; Facebook has been responding to claims since at least 2014alleging that it gave “fake likes” to companies in exchange for advertising dollars; and Twitter accounts were used in 2015 by supporters of Mexican President Enrique Nieto to push back against political opponents and diminish unfavorable narratives. When you see a new meme or line of messaging beginning to trend, you need to step back and understand that it is in someone’s interest to promote that messaging beyond its organic interest.
- Know Who’s Behind Them And Why: Web traffic is a valuable commodity, whether as a tool to drive advertising revenue and demonstrate popularity, or as a means to further a political objective. While one Facebook imposter account was traced back to the Russian government as a means of stirring chaos in the United States, companies, bands, and even the U.S. State Department have paid companies to artificially inflate their social media followings and create an echo chamber effect artificially.
- Leverage This Information: Business leaders and policy makers need to understand the challenges posed by fake social media accounts, which pose serious political and reputational risks for companies and causes. Fake accounts already exist and are creatingperceptions that may not stand up to scrutiny; investors are already questioning the effects that fake accounts have on advertisers and the values of social media stocks; and companies have already been caught – and their brands damaged – by creating fake accounts to try and shape a narrative online. Indeed, fake accounts are in many ways the latest method in a longstanding tradition in Washington and other influence capitals of creating anonymous, anodyne-sounding coalitions to promote messages and undertake advocacy for and against business and policy concerns. If business leaders and policymakers wait to achieve an information awareness about these accounts, the ability to prepare for and mitigate the risks they bring will be greatly diminished – and may raise the costs for eventual recovery from them.
Fake accounts will remain a major issue in the news, and their activities and consequences will continue to impact businesses and create challenges for policymakers. In looking at these facts, and by using the three lessons outlined above, one can better understand the risks that fake accounts pose and be better prepared to craft a strategy to protect one’s interests and make the most of the opportunities that present themselves in these uncertain times.
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