US mid-term elections: Misinformation, conspiracy theories on the rise

Conspiracy theories about mail ballots. Anonymous text messages warning voters to stay home. Fringe social media platforms where election misinformation spreads with impunity.

Misinformation about the upcoming mid-term elections has been building for months, challenging election officials and tech companies, while offering another reminder of how conspiracy theories and distrust are shaping America’s politics.

A look at key misinformation challenges heading into the 2022 election:

MISLEADING CLAIMS ABOUT VOTING

Political misinformation often focuses on immigration, crime, public health, geopolitics, disasters, education or mass shootings. This year, it’s mostly about voting.

Claims about the security of mail ballots have grown in recent weeks, as have baseless rumours about non-citizens voting.

MISTAKES WILL HAPPEN — WHILE CLOCK IS TICKING

Mistakes are expected, which is why there’s a robust system of checks and balances to ensure errors are found and corrected.

Taken out of context, stories about glitchy voting machines, mixed-up ballots or even ‘suspicious’ vehicles arriving at election centres can become fodder for the next election fraud myth.

A MULTILINGUAL CHALLENGE

Misinformation in non-English languages is a particular concern cited by researchers who say the major platforms — most of them US-based — are focused on content moderation in English.

Automated systems written to detect misinformation in English don’t work as well when applied to other languages.

MISINFORMATION BY TEXT?

While misinformation about elections spreads easily on big social media platforms like Facebook, it also has taken root on a long list of less familiar platforms: Gab, Gettr, Parler and Truth Social.

Meanwhile, TikTok has emerged as a key network for younger voters — and the politicians who want to reach them.

The problem isn’t limited to social media. The number of false claims transmitted by text and email has steadily increased in recent years.

MUSK AND TWITTER

Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter just weeks before the 2022 election upended that platform’s plans for combating misinformation ahead of the mid-terms.

A free speech absolutist, Musk quickly fired the executive who had overseen content moderation. Over the weekend he posted a tweet advancing a baseless conspiracy theory about the attack on Paul Pelosi before deleting it.

THREATS FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC

Russian efforts to interfere in US elections go back years, and there are indications that China and Iran are stepping up their game.

Tech companies, government officials, and misinformation researchers say they’re monitoring for such activity ahead of the mid-terms.