Michigan Secretary of State warns of bad actors seeking to "hack voters' minds" on election misinformation

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: CBS News

Updated on: October 20, 2024 / 1:38 PM EDT


Washington — Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson warned Sunday of efforts by bad actors to "hack voters' minds" to spread misinformation ahead of Election Day.

"We know that because our systems are secure, there are foreign, bad actors and adversaries to democracy on the global scale who will seek to potentially not hack our systems, but hack voters' minds to spread falsehoods and misinformation," Benson said on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan." "Not just to sow seeds of distrust, but to diminish citizens' confidence in the process and in their own voices."

Benson, a Democrat, said the misinformation is being amplified because "if there is enough noise," people may disengage altogether, noting that "that's the goal" of those looking to sow distrust. The Michigan secretary of state, who has also accused Elon Musk — a vocal supporter of former President Donald Trump — of intentionally spreading false information about Michigan voters, said Sunday when asked about Musk's intentions that "adversaries to democracy" are working to "create chaos" and distrust around the elections processes, "not just in Michigan but around the country."

"So it's incumbent upon all of us to look to trusted sources of information, like your local election official and use data to evaluate questions, as opposed to people who are running social media companies with particular agendas and who have a history in amplifying conspiracy theories and false information," Benson said. She encouraged Michiganders to go to michigan.gov/electionfacts rather than to social media for trusted and accurate election information.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jocelyn-benson-michigan-secretary-of-state-hack-voters-minds/

[polichick]

1. 'hack voters' minds' - paints a clear picture!

[TomCADem]

2. Tobacco-like warning label for social media sought by US surgeon general who asks Congress to act

The elephant in the room that not surprisingly does not trend on social media is decreasing influence of traditional media outlets and the growing percentage of people who get their information and news from social media sources. Traditional media, of course, is not going to cover how they are less and less significant. Likewise, social media platforms do not want to highlight how there is no disclosure regarding how their rankings and recommendations work or that rankings and recommendations sometimes are inversely related to the accuracy or reliability of a post.

https://apnews.com/article/surgeon-general-social-media-mental-health-df321c791493863001754401676f165c

The U.S. surgeon general has called on Congress to require warning labels on social media platforms and their effects on young people’s lives, similar to those now mandatory on cigarette boxes.

In a Monday opinion piece in the The New York Times, Dr. Vivek Murthy said that social media is a contributing factor in the mental health crisis among young people.

“It is time to require a surgeon general’s warning label on social media platforms, stating that social media is associated with significant mental health harms for adolescents. A surgeon general’s warning label, which requires congressional action, would regularly remind parents and adolescents that social media has not been proved safe,” Murthy said. “Evidence from tobacco studies show that warning labels can increase awareness and change behavior.”

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Social media use is prevalent among young people, with up to 95% of youth ages 13 to 17 saying that they use a social media platform, and more than a third saying that they use social media “almost constantly,” according to 2022 data from the Pew Research Center.