Tech Giants Testify on Election Security Measures Before Senate

US Senate Warns Big Tech to Act Fast Against Election Meddling

In an Intelligence Committee hearing with representatives from Google, Apple, and Meta on Wednesday, senators on stressed that foreign influence is far from a solved problem. Top officials from Google, Apple, and Meta testified Wednesday before the United States Senate Intelligence Committee about their company's ongoing efforts to identify and disrupt foreign influence campaigns ahead of the country's November elections. The hearing, chaired by senator Mark Warner of Virginia, served largely to impress upon the companies the need for more extensive safeguards against the disinformation campaigns being funded by foreign entities with an eye on influencing US politics. "This is really our effort to try to urge you guys to do more. To alert the public that this has not gone away," Warner said. The chairman, a proponent of expanding cooperation between the government and Silicon Valley to root out campaigns by Russia, Iran, and China, among other legally designated rivals, described the recent efforts by Russia as both "effective and cheap." The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control placed sanctions this month on 10 Russian citizens, several of them employees of the state-funded news outlet RT, formerly Russia Today. US secretary of state Antony Blinken on Friday accused the Russian outlet of working hand-in-hand with the country's intelligence services, conducting influence and cyber operations meant to covertly spread Kremlin propaganda on more than three continents. And earlier this month, US authorities accused RT employees of bankrolling right-with influencer network Tenet Media. Warner noted -- almost as an aside -- that Elon Musk's X had refused to send a representative to testify Wednesday. A spokesperson for Warner told WIRED that X's former chief of global affairs, Nick Pickles, had previously agreed to appear before the committee; however, he resigned from the company roughly two weeks later. X then declined to provide a replacement. (Pickles could not be immediately reached for comment.) Warner received the companies that did appear amicably, praising the "positive role" they've played during the government's recent actions: Meta's recent decision, for example, to ban RT -- formerly Russia Today -- and its subsidiary Sputnik from its platforms. Warner also highlighted recent decisions at Google and Microsoft to publicly reveal information about foreign election threats, keeping the public and government better informed. In addition to the Tenet Media indictment, the Department of Justice revealed this month in an FBI affidavit that it had seized 32 internet domains allegedly tied to the Kremlin and related entities. The websites, with names like "fox-news[.]top," were created to imitate popular media and news brands, including CNN, spreading content favorable to Russia. One fake Fox News story, for instance, declared that Ukraine has "no particular value to the US," and that squaring off with Russia is "too great" a risk. The operation, dubbed "Doppelganger," allegedly relied on influencers and paid social media advertisements, as well as fake accounts that mimicked US citizens -- in some cases with the help of artificial intelligence. In private documents obtained by the FBI, the operation's principal director -- a little-known Russian political strategist named Ilya Gambashidzer -- is alleged to have stated plainly: "They are expecting fake news from us every day." Marco Rubio, the committee's Republican vice chair, argued on the behalf of Americans who, he said, should not be punished for holding views that align with the Kremlin's. "The question becomes is that disinformation, or is that misinformation, is that an influence operation, because that pre-existing view is being amplified?" Decisions by companies to remove the amplified information is "problematic and complicated," he said, adding that he believes it risks "stigmatiz[ing]" Americans holding those views.

Social media companies vow to combat foreign election interference

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) - Leaders from Microsoft, Meta, and Google's parent company Alphabet were on Capitol Hill. They were there to shed light on their effort to combat foreign meddling in the upcoming election. "There are real and serious threats," said Microsoft President and Vice Chair Brad Smith. Just weeks before the election, leaders from Microsoft, Meta and Google's parent company Alphabet are cautioning Americans to be on alert. The tech giants say Russia, Iran and others are ramping up efforts to spread disinformation online. "They're seeking to sew discord among Americans," said Meta's President of Global Affairs Nick Clegg. At a hearing, they assured senators they are using new tactics and tools, including AI, to detect and remove posts by foreign actors. "We've removed over 200 hundred networks since 2017," said Alphabet's President and Chief Legal Officer Kent Walker. Senators pointed to recent posts that appeared to slip through the cracks. "These look exactly like the Washington Post," said Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.). Committee chairman Democratic Senator Mark Warner pushed the tech giants to do more, not just before Election Day, but after, as well. "My gravest concern is over the level of misinformation, disinformation that may come from our adversaries after our polls close," said Warner. The tech leaders say they're committed to protecting U.S. citizens from foreign influence this election cycle but vowed not to go overboard. Republican Senator Marco Rubio says the companies went too far during covid-19 and ultimately censored American citizens. "There are some people who got their accounts locked out...because they questioned the efficacy of masks," said Rubio. Notably missing from the discussion was X, formerly known as Twitter, the company declined to attend.