© Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg sits at the witness table after a break during a joint hearing of the Senate Judiciary and Commerce Committees in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, April 10, 2018.
Fake news and social media posts are such a threat to U.S. security that the
Defense Department is launching a project to repel "large-scale, automated disinformation attacks," as the top Republican in Congress blocks efforts to protect the integrity of elections.
The
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency wants custom software that can unearth fakes hidden among more than 500,000 stories, photos, video and audio clips. If successful, the system after four years of trials may
expand to detect malicious intent and prevent viral fake news from polarizing society.
"A decade ago, today's state-of-the-art would have registered as sci-fi — that's how fast the improvements have come," said Andrew Grotto at the Center for International Security at Stanford University. "There is no reason to think the pace of innovation will slow any time soon."
U.S. officials have been working on plans to prevent outside hackers from flooding social channels with false information ahead of the 2020 election. The drive has been hindered by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's refusal to consider election-security legislation.
Critics have labeled him #MoscowMitch, saying he left the U.S. vulnerable to meddling by Russia, prompting his retort of "modern-day McCarthyism."
Comment: More from Canberra media station 10 News First:
Australia's The Star reports: There seems to be a coordinated crackdown on press freedom in Australia. Several huge scandals need to be squashed regarding the behavior of the Australian military.