(Dis)information Warfare: The 2016 Election, Russian Hackers, and US Democratic Precarity

75 pagesThe 2016 election of Donald J. Trump irrevocably changed the course of American democracy by revealing the malevolent soft power of disinformation warfare in the American electoral system. Russian troll accounts operated by artificial intelligence bots systematically targeted voters on behalf of Mr. Trump to alter behavior and elicit polarizing reactions, cultivating his campaign of fearmongering and racism. Voters of color in key battleground districts—which won Mr. Trump the Electoral College—were marginalized through campaigns slandering Hillary Clinton’s record with Black and Latinx voters. The 2019 special counsel report by Robert Mueller confirmed that Russian disinformation Internet trolls worked to sow discord within the American public in the 2016 election—but what does this reveal about the sustainable future of the United States’ democracy as technology continues evolving? What do these campaigns reveal about the targeted audience for foreign actors and consulting firms? Through my research, I aim to correlate the history of disinformation with the future development of artificial intelligent technologies. After closely examining the impact of the Russian disinformation social media schemes in 2016, I will suggest techniques to better improve the sanctity of the electoral system. In a world continually fighting towards digital freedoms and data liberties, the United States must protect its citizens from election interference—without these precautions, hacking an election will only become easier