Governments step up social media capabilities

Outlook

Countries across the world are increasing their social media manipulation capabilities. According to an October report by the University of Oxford, all 70 countries examined show evidence of organised manipulation campaigns -- up from 48 last year.

Authoritarian regimes use social media to suppress criticism, drown out political dissent and discredit opposition. In democracies, governments, parties and politicians also turn to social media to influence domestic public opinion: politicians have amassed fake followers to raise their profile, targeted voters with specific media, or engaged in campaigns on social networks such as WhatsApp.

This will challenge policymakers in democracies as they struggle to balance free speech with dishonest attempts to shape public opinion by domestic actors.

Impacts

• Knowledge and skills in online propaganda are diffusing globally, informally or through training.
• Even without foreign interference, democracies will suffer from disruptive domestic actors.
• Mistrust of social media will rise, creating obstacles to healthy democratic debate.