Stanford study finds financial profit, not ideology, drove many fake political accounts in 2020 election
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Summary
A Stanford study, conducted in collaboration with Meta and other universities, analyzed nearly 50 deceptive online networks active during the 2020 U.S. elections. The research found that many fake accounts posting political content were primarily financially motivated, using political themes as bait to drive clicks and generate profit, rather than purely for political manipulation.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledA new study has shed light on how fake social media accounts fabricated by deceptive groups can reach – and potentially influence – millions of users with political posts.
Through a collaboration with other universities and researchers from Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, Stanford researchers examined nearly 50 misleading online networks that operated during the 2020 United States national elections.
The deceptive networks targeted real users through posts from fake accounts using bogus names and pro
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