ISLAMABAD (PEN) : A recent investigation by Global Witness has uncovered significant concerns regarding the impact of bot-driven disinformation and hate speech during the UK general election campaign. According to their findings, 10 suspected bot profiles on X (formerly Twitter) disseminated over 60,000 posts containing conspiracy theories and hateful content, including Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, homophobia, and transphobia. These posts collectively garnered an estimated 150 million views.
The bot profiles, designed to mimic human behavior, also promoted praise for Russian President Vladimir Putin, potentially exerting an outsized influence due to their prolific output. Global Witness expressed alarm over the potential manipulation of public opinion through these accounts, noting the divisive nature of the content they spread.
Furthermore, the NGO highlighted concerns about the integrity of democratic processes, particularly in the face of advancements in cyber technology and international geopolitical tensions. UK Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden recently warned of foreign actors, such as Russia, attempting to influence democratic processes, echoing similar concerns raised globally.
Ava Lee, campaign leader at Global Witness, called on X and other social media platforms to take decisive action to safeguard democratic discourse from such manipulation. She emphasized the critical need for transparency and accountability in addressing the proliferation of bot-driven misinformation and hate speech online.
Global Witness identified the suspected bot accounts by monitoring posts related to contentious issues like climate change and migration. The accounts exhibited overt partisan behavior, aligning themselves with specific political parties through their content and use of party logos.
Despite the concerning findings, there was no evidence found that any UK political party was directly involved in funding or utilizing these bots for their campaigns. Global Witness urged X to conduct a thorough investigation into these accounts, which likely violate the platform’s own policies, and to bolster efforts to protect democratic processes from manipulation.
As of the report’s release, one of the identified bot profiles had been deleted, while the remaining nine continued to operate on the platform.
X (formerly Twitter) did not respond to requests for comment on the matter.
