In Fear of Election Tampering, Germany Targets Regulation of Social Bots

In the aftermath of the tumultuous U.S. elections, Germany, a potent economic powerhouse and a key American ally, grows increasingly apprehensive over the potential influence of social bots on its forthcoming election in 2022.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel issued a clear and resonant message to lawmakers on Wednesday. “In order to reach people, to inspire people, we need to deal with this phenomenon and – where necessary – regulate it,” Merkel expressed. This cautionary advice comes hot on the heels of her declaration on Sunday of intending to contest for a fourth term in office.

The aforementioned concern strikes a familiar chord. Post the U.S. elections, numerous critics pointed fingers at social media giants, Facebook and Twitter, accusing them of enabling the spread of misinformation that arguably influenced the election outcome. In light of these allegations, Facebook’s management came under severe fire, compelling Mark Zuckerberg to [announce measures to curb the dissemination of fake news](http://techbooky.com/facebook-now-plans-to-do-something-about-face-news-stories/) on the site.

According to a [Reuters report](http://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-merkel-socialbots-idUSKBN13J1V0), Chancellor Merkel has taken the potential threat seriously. She invited Simon Hegelich, Professor of Political Data Science at the Technical University of Munich, to present a detailed briefing about the ominous phenomenon to the executive committee of her party, the Christian Democrats (CDU), on Monday.

“Merkel is really interested in the topic of bots and fake news and hate speech on the Internet and she’s very well informed,” confirmed Professor Hegelich.

While all of Germany’s political parties have pledged to abstain from utilizing bots in their campaign, the inherent anonymity of these entities introduces the difficulty of tracing their origins. Hegelich does not exclude the possibility of third parties exploiting bots to tarnish the reputation of political parties or candidates.

The profound role played by social media in forming public opinion is undeniable. Consequently, the urgency to address the issue of bots potentially manipulating election outcomes is paramount. The recent U.S. election, where despite winning all three debates and seemingly having a stronger policy message, Mrs. Clinton lost, has seen the blame fall squarely on exploiting social media platforms. Garnering lessons from this, Germany is driven to ensure that such manipulations do not mar its own elections next year.