What We're Reading at Issue One
In his recent State of the Union address, President Biden highlighted issues threatening our democracy, and a commitment to preserve it. Undergirding democracy is a crosspartisan effort, and there is still much work to be done before Election Day this November. Foreign interference, domestic bad-faith actors, and a toxic information environment fueled by unchecked social media companies challenge an already heated election cycle.?
Here’s what we’re reading as we work to mitigate these threats:
A State of the Union like no other — The Reform Compass
Issue One Founder and CEO Nick Penniman kicks off our new Substack publication by sharing his thoughts on last night’s State of the Union address. To affirm his commitment to protecting our democracy, President Biden and other politicians on the Hill must rein in Big Tech.?
Left to their own devices for decades, social media companies have created platforms where bullies and bad actors thrive. We are in dire need of legislation like the Kids Online Safety Act to start holding these companies accountable.
In last night’s State of the Union address, President Biden echoed sentiments felt by democracy advocates nationwide as we move through the 2024 election season: “Not since President Lincoln and the civil war have our freedom and democracy been under assault at home as they are today. What makes our moment rare is freedom and democracy are under attack both at home and overseas at the very same time.”
Evolving technologies like generative AI are emboldening bad actors both at home and abroad to chip away at the health of our information environment one deepfake at a time. Conspiracy theorists continue to campaign for their legitimacy as they spread lies and cause confusion. A strong commitment to democracy is exactly what we need from our leaders in 2024.?
Election deniers seek to rewrite the law – New York Times
Dozens of bills inspired by unverified, or false claims regarding our elections have been introduced in state legislatures. Election deniers are looking to codify their conspiracies into law.
“We’re seeing the type of legislation change each year, but a common denominator is that it is very often rooted in disinformation about the 2020 election, and it threatens to interfere with the actual administration of elections,” said a policy advisor at Voting Rights Lab.?
There is a growing effort to protect our democracy by amplifying trusted and verified sources when voters are seeking election-related information, from Secretaries of State to local election officials. Election administrators are our best defense against these bad actors.
This week, AI generated images circulated online featuring former President Trump and what appeared to be black supporters of his reelection campaign. While these images were not officially tied to Trump’s campaign, the use of his likeness paints a false picture of support and community engagement that intentionally targeted an underrepresented demographic of voters.
Dozens of similar images were circulated, some by social media users with a large following. This a prime example of the major ethical concerns raised by generative AI that are not being taken seriously by Big Tech in their continued pursuit of profits over people.?
Feds preach vigilance amid multiple physical, cyber threats against election officials – Route Fifty
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is taking steps to support security efforts this election year by sending staff out into the field. Regional CISA security advisors will be able to work more closely with election administrators with the goal of delivering accessible, relevant information as their relationships evolve.
This is a promising step, but more support is needed. Congress must take responsibility to protect the election administrators at the front lines of our democracy by appropriating more federal funds for our election infrastructure. Free, fair, and safe elections necessitates that our election workers are safe, too.