TWO reports commissioned by the US Senate Intelligence Committee have revealed the extent to which Russia attempted to interfere in and influence the result of the 2016 US presidential election. The reports, drawn up by private cybersecurity firms, claim that Russia used every major social media platform to launch in effect a propaganda war meant to sway the election in favour of then Republican candidate Donald Trump and against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. The presumption is that Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted the hawkish Ms Clinton defeated and an untested, inexperienced Mr Trump in the US presidency so as to allow Russia to continue with its expansionist policies. While it may never be known to what extent the Russian online propaganda affected votes cast by Americans, the fact that Mr Trump eked out an electoral college victory winning a handful of states by a total of a mere tens of thousands among more than 130m votes cast nationwide suggests that the propaganda war may have had a decisive effect.

At least two points need to be made here. First, while the Russian interference must be condemned as unlawful, the so-called hacking of the US election is a high-tech version of what big powers have done in many parts of the world for generations. Indeed, as commentators on the Trump-friendly Fox News have often pointed out in defence of Mr Trump’s victory, it is the US itself that for generations has interfered in elections abroad and perpetrated regime change in the name of national security in far-flung areas of the world. Perhaps as the US has awakened to the democratic threat that misuse of social media platforms can pose, it will reconsider its own conduct abroad. Second, the weaknesses that Russia has exploited to manipulate public sentiment abroad rightly call for a re-examination of how global social media platforms function, but the flaws that Russia has exposed and used should not become a reason for imposing anti-democratic and anti-freedom-of-expression curbs in countries across the world. True, the internet has revolutionised how individuals access and consume information, including political speech, and the liberating ideals of social media platforms have exposed problems both in how the mega tech companies operate and how societies can be manipulated. But the answer must not be automatic and regressive censorship or state control. Indeed, now that the US is animated about the Russian threat, progressive solutions may be forthcoming.

Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2018