Social media giants say no evidence to support American president’s accusation that Beijing is ‘attempting to interfere’ in midterm votes
Facebook and Twitter have not detected Chinese meddling in the 2018 elections, company officials said, casting doubt on claims by President Donald Trump that Beijing is trying to interfere.
The social media giants have reported online disinformation campaigns before the November 6 elections that appear to originate from Russia and Iran. But press representatives for both companies, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they have not found evidence of such activity from China.
Facebook and Twitter are the latest in a string of tech companies to dispute Trump’s claim.
In the wake of alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election, Facebook and Twitter have stepped up efforts to detect and stop disinformation campaigns by foreign governments on their platforms. The companies use automated algorithms and human reviews of suspicious activity to search for coordinated campaigns.
Facebook and Twitter have both suspended or removed accounts that appeared to come from Russia and Iran and seemed intended to influence US opinion.
