Russia ‘tried to swing election for Corbyn’
Experts warn it is impossible to prove who was behind social media ‘bots’
Russia attempted to swing last year’s general election in favour of Jeremy Corbyn by using social media robot accounts to promote the Labour leader, an investigation by The Sunday Times has concluded.
Research conducted with Swansea University identified some 6,500 Russian Twitter accounts that rallied behind Labour in the run-up to June’s vote, sending messages that were seen by millions of voters.
Analysis of these accounts, many of which used female English names, found nine out of ten messages about Labour were supportive of the party’s campaign. The same proportion of tweets about the Conservatives were hostile.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Around 80% of the automated accounts were created after Theresa May called the snap election. They were more active at key moments including the launch of the Conservative Party manifesto, the Manchester Arena bombing and televised election debates.
The fake accounts identified so far “are just the tip of the iceberg”, The Sunday Times says, and academics are asking Twitter to investigate the true scale of Russian meddling in British politics.
Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Matt Hancock expressed concern about the suggestion that state actors were behind the automated accounts, adding it was “absolutely unacceptable for any nation to attempt to interfere in the democratic elections of another country”.
However, The Independent says experts “cautioned that it was impossible to prove who was behind the networks, their motives or what impact they had in the ‘murky’ world of information warfare”.
The shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, dismissed the assertion that Russians “tried to swing the election” in Labour’s favour as a “classic Sunday Times smear campaign”.
“This is ludicrous,” he told Sky News. “If I remember rightly, the Russian Embassy was putting out supportive noises towards the Tory party.
“If there’s an issue here about anything with Russian influence in our society, it’s about Russian oligarchs funding the Tory party – let’s have an inquiry into that.”
Russia has faced repeated accusations it sought to meddle in both the 2016 Brexit vote and US presidential election with social media ‘bots’. Data analysis firm Cambridge Analytica has been accused of illegally harvesting millions of people’s private data to specifically target swing voters with bespoke messages.
While online micro-targeting has become a major part of election campaigning in recent years, there is little evidence about how much it affects the outcome.
Swansea University Professor Oleksandr Talavera, who led the Sunday Times investigation, pointed to a study suggesting sentiments expressed on Twitter could affect the stock market. He said this suggested there might be an impact on elections, but added there is currently no way to quantify the outcome.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'Good riddance to the televised presidential debate'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Caitlin Clark the No. 1 pick in bullish WNBA Draft
Speed Read As expected, she went to the Indiana Fever
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - April 16, 2024
Cartoons Tuesday's cartoons - sleepyhead, little people, and more
By The Week US Published
-
How will honeytrap scandal change Westminster?
Today's Big Question Security procedures laid bare by spear phishing attack as focus shifts to 'political insider' being responsible
By The Week UK Published
-
'Young kids simply shouldn't be on social media'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Will Aukus pact survive a second Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question US, UK and Australia seek to expand 'game-changer' defence partnership ahead of Republican's possible return to White House
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
'Grandstanding about the existential threat climate change poses'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Britain's biggest political donors
The Explainer With the 2024 general election set to be the highest-spending contest ever we look at who is giving to which party and why
By The Week UK Published
-
'Litigation will not save us from Trump'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
It's the economy, Sunak: has 'Rishession' halted Tory fightback?
Today's Big Question PM's pledge to deliver economic growth is 'in tatters' as stagnation and falling living standards threaten Tory election wipeout
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
What will £28bn green investment U-turn cost Labour?
Today's Big Question Dropping flagship pledge 'will confirm workers' scepticism of the endless promises of jam tomorrow', said union leader
By The Week UK Published