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breppptoday at 10:59 AM2 repliesview on HN

I am an Israeli and though I dislike this certain brand of companies and would never work in one, I am not sure this is strictly bad.

I assume these were hired by a local candidate (unless someone can think who has a deep interest in French municipal elections)

Currently the only actors who use fake social accounts for election manipulation are the Russians, Chinese, Iran and Qatar.

The west is completely powerless in either fighting back, regulating social networks or coming up with a technological solution.

As democracies are being undermined by foreign influence, from Brexit, to the US elections, I'd rather local parties would have access to these tools than the alternative, and that would be only done using private companies.

Of course the better alternative is getting rid of fake accounts and making social media into a unicorn and bunnies hate-free zone, don't think we are headed there though


Replies

Georgelementaltoday at 12:50 PM

> unless someone can think who has a deep interest in French municipal elections

The State of Israel? They are paranoid about their international standing. (Really, just paranoid in general, to an absurd and pathological degree, though for understandable reasons.)

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Hikikomoritoday at 11:15 AM

Israel just buys the political support in the open instead.

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