Quick Hits returns! In this edition: 75 excellent stories related to digital politics and advocacy.
- The Billion-Dollar Disinformation Campaign to Reelect the President. “Scholars have a name for this: censorship through noise”. A multi-pronged onslaught of lies, misdirection and intimidation. C.f. The Great Online Convergence: Digital Authoritarianism Comes To Democracies and Latest Ukraine Docs Show How Trump World Launders Useful Lies Through Conservative Media.
- One year inside Trump’s monumental Facebook campaign. “A Guardian investigation of 218,100 ads reveals how the campaign’s sophisticated social media machine targets conservative voters”.
- Trump’s Digital Advantage Is Freaking Out Democratic Strategists. Geofencing + data collection + microtargeting.
- How conservatives learned to wield power inside Facebook. “[A] platform that gives politicians license to lie and that remains awash in misinformation, vulnerable to a repeat of many of the problems that marred the 2016 presidential election.”
- Anatomy of a ‘smear’: How John Bolton became a target of the pro-Trump Internet.
- Sanders supporters have weaponized Facebook to spread angry memes about his Democratic rivals. C.f. She sends texts to put Bernie Sanders in the White House — she and 12,000 others.
- It Looks Like the Trump Campaign’s App Will Track Users’ Locations. Is That Normal?.
- Conservatives spread false claims on Twitter about electoral fraud as Iowans prepare to caucus.
- Facebook executive says company was responsible for Trump’s victory but warns against policy changes. Thanks for the help, guys. C.f. Facebook won’t limit political ad targeting or stop false claims under new ad rules.
- On the plus side, Fake News Might Have Just Stopped a War, and Did Twitter Help Stop War With Iran?
- Pro-Trump effort raises over $60M in January. Surely funding digital ads in the months to come.
- $45m in 90 days: How Bloomberg bought your Facebook feed.
- Facebook Dominates 2019/2020 Political Ad Spending, with around three times Google’s share. Via Shaun Dakin.
- Pete Buttigieg is canvassing his Twitter followers ahead of Super Tuesday. “His campaign calls the practice ‘digital doorknocking'”. Meanwhile, Buttigieg [is] launching Super Tuesday TV ads, with a digital component as well.
- Here are the memes Mike Bloomberg’s presidential campaign paid influencers to post on Instagram.
- Digital Edits, a Paid Army: Bloomberg Is ‘Destroying Norms’ on Social Media.
- The Political Pundits of Tik Tok.
- How Low Will Democrats Go? Probably Not Low Enough. In a world of fake news and dank memes, this means they’re no longer very good at the internet. C.f. The 2020 candidates are good at social media — until they make you cringe.
- Below the Presidential Level, Campaigns are Shunning Paid Ads on Snapchat.
- OTT Inventory Sees Spike, Facebook Less So In Iowa And New Hampshire.
- Twitter is suspending 70 pro-Bloomberg accounts, citing ‘platform manipulation’.
- Sanders implies Russia, not his supporters, may be to blame for online vitriol. Experts aren’t so sure.
- Mike Bloomberg prepares media onslaught against Democratic front-runner Bernie Sanders.
- Impeachment delivered blockbuster fundraising for key lawmakers on both sides.
- States are on front lines of 2020 election-security efforts, and c.f. How Close Did Russia Really Come to Hacking the 2016 Election? “Government reports indicate a Florida election technology company was hacked in 2016. There’s plenty the public doesn’t know about the incident — but should — going into 2020.”
- U.S. Cybercom contemplates information warfare to counter Russian interference in 2020 election.
- Campaigns Struggling With Cybersecurity Have New Places To Start.
- MacArthur Genius Danielle Citron on Deepfakes and the Representative Katie Hill Scandal. Also disinformation, platform responsibility and much more.
- The FBI Arrested A Man For Allegedly Hacking Former Rep. Katie Hill’s Opponent To Help Her Win.
- Scam PAC Consultant Gets Three Years In Federal Prison.
- U.S. joins others in accusing Russia of cyber attack on Republic of Georgia.
- China Steps Up Its Information War in Taiwan. But, a Doctor’s death from coronavirus sparks a digital uprising, rattling China’s leaders.
- Japanese manga about a Uighur woman’s persecution in China becomes viral hit.
- Facebook’s ban on foreign political ads means the site is segregating speech.
- In Libya, cheap, powerful drones kill civilians and increasingly fuel the war.
- BuzzFeed News is recruiting teenagers to make election-themed TikTok and Instagram videos.
- Digital Politics 2019 Year In Review. Also, What Shaped Political Technology in the 2010s, and c.f. The Decade Digital Politics Came Of Age, if you missed it.
- Report: Measuring People Power in 2020+.
- Everything you wanted to know about 2019 EOY fundraising but were afraid to ask.
- Three “head fakes” and three [marketing] tech trends to watch out for in 2020.
- Is This Powerlifting Strategist Monopolizing Democrats’ Data?. Clickbait headline, but it’s nice to see Amanda Coulombe get recognition.
- Six charts that explain the UK’s digital election campaign. Lessons from the fall.
- ‘The intelligence coup of the century’ “For decades, the CIA read the encrypted communications of allies and adversaries” through a company they and West German intelligence backed.
- How tech firm Shadow sought to revolutionize Democratic campaigns — but stumbled in Iowa. C.f. How to Vet the Engineering Chops of your Software Vendors.
- Pinterest bans misinformation about voting and the census.
- Yes, you can still visit Bob Dole’s 1996 campaign website. Here is its story. C.f. The First Campaign Websites Were Just 2 Tech Guys Trolling Bob Dole And Bill Clinton. Though, check out 20 Years Ago: Sen. Kennedy Announces First Congressional Website for earlier examples.
- Create The Perfect Nonprofit Podcast.
- TikTok 101 for Nonprofits.
- The Democratization of Video Production for Political Campaigns.
- Nonprofit Fundraising: 5 Ways to Boost Supporter Involvement.
- 5 Things Your Nonprofit Can Do To Step Up Its Instagram Game.
- The Nonprofit Guide to Automation and Personalization.
- How testing can grow year-end fundraising.
- Political Phones Strategy In An Age Of Increased Regulation.
- The Risks Of A Purity-Driven Fundraising Strategy.
- Controversial Facial Recognition Company Clearview AI Has Been Hacked.
- What craigslist can teach us about Web 2.0, and CollegeHumor Helped Shape Online Comedy. What Went Wrong? Lessons for other content sites.
- Social Media Made America Tired of Rich People. About time.
- And finally, We talked to the unsung hero behind all those Military Giant Cat memes. HERO!