In February 2021 the second impeachment trial against Donald Trump, former President, was held at the US Congress over the attack on the Capitol by his supporters. Records and analyzes of Trump's social media messages were submitted to the court as evidence that he made false claims and incited violence to overturn the results of the presidential election held last November. The Democratic Party, which is pursuing the case, has determined that Trump is guilty of posing a threat to American democracy and jeopardizing the peaceful transition of power, and that Trump is an "inciter in chief."
Even if Trump is found not guilty due to the power of the Republican-dominated Congress, it will not erase the fact that as the nation's highest leader, he disregarded the facts, distorted the truth, and threatened the life of the people. The fact that Trump's "false information operations" were the driving force that deepened social divisions, turned the magma of confrontation into anger, and led to a mayhem of liberation and frenzy does not end with political condemnation. Research institutions and the media have already begun efforts to scientifically elucidate the social phenomenon caused by disinformation, which can be called a modern disease, based on data, and to prevent its recurrence.
Trump's Twitter account has been suspended, but its records can be viewed at the Trump Twitter Archive. Researchers at Cornell University extracted approximately 28 million tweets and retweets using keywords and tags related to presidential election "fraud" and analyzed the spread of information before and after Trump and Q-Anon transmissions were frozen. Research data is shared on the web, and large IT media such as GAFA are also paying attention. However, these methods can only be used fairly in a society where freedom of speech is guaranteed. In fact, under an authoritarian regime, it can actually become an opportunity to intervene in human rights.
For example, Aleksei Navalny, a leading Russian blogger, has been accusing regime officials of illegal wealth accumulation and underground business on social media. The authorities have kept a watchful eye on censorship and surveillance of the vast amount of information exchanged on the internet, carried out large-scale crackdowns through data analysis, and locked down information to prevent the spread of "inconvenient truths." In February 2021, China banned the BBC from broadcasting it in the country, stating that it had "violated its standards of being truthful, fair and not against the national interest." It was labeled as "fraudulent" in retaliation for reporting on human rights crackdowns in Hong Kong and Xinjiang, and for the suspension of Chinese media licenses in the UK.
The scene is reminiscent of the dystopias written by G. Orwell. Dealing with fake news is a difficult issue that plagues democratic countries where freedom of speech is guaranteed. Angela Merkel, former German Chancellor, warned that "if freedom to express opinions is to be restricted, it should be based on law or by the legislature" regarding the decision to freeze Trump's SNS. The rule of law in democracy is the exact opposite of the rule of law in authoritarianism. What kind of social change we aim for based on data and analysis that reveals the impact of fakes depends on our own vision for the future and the expression of our political will. (to be continued)
*This text was taken from the author's Waseda University Extension College online course "Fake News and International Politics," released in February 2021.
<Additional note> This article was written at a time of turmoil over the results of the 2020 US Presidential election, including the storming of the US Capitol and the impeachment of the President. As of February 2024, Trump has re-emerged as a leading candidate to become the next President. More than three years have passed since then, but decisions regarding his criminal liability in the attack and his eligibility to run for President remain in limbo. Will American voters applaud a man who goes through numerous trials, like the citizens of Paris who cheered Napoleon after he escaped from Elba?