Inside Trump’s digital operation, Bots and artificial intelligence report the news
Trump Media /// The cover story of next week’s Bloomberg Businessweek goes behind-the-scenes of the Trump campaign’s digital and data operation and explores how these efforts might fuel a “Plan B” should things not go their way on November 8th (or November 28th). And while most campaigns focus on a get out the vote strategy, the Trump campaign has “three major voter suppression operations under way” according to Steve Bannon, the campaign’s chief executive and former chairman of Breitbart News.
Bots Can Tweet, but Can’t Vote /// A team of researchers from Oxford University found that while traffic on pro-Trump hashtags was twice as high as pro-Clinton hashtags during the first debate, 33% of tweets came from bots and automated accounts, compared to 22% for Clinton.
By AI /// The Washington Post will employ an in-house artificial intelligence program called Heliograf to cover every House, Senate, and gubernatorial race in the country on Election Day. The program will update template stories as results come in, with journalists adding custom reporting to major races. The outlet will also leverage geo-targeting to elevate regionally-relevant stories to visitors based on their location.
News Messenger /// The New York Times launched a simple Facebook Messenger bot for the election that can reply to user questions on current polls, forecasts or projections for specific states.
Strategy for a Networked World /// In an essay for the November/December edition of Foreign Affairs, Anne-Marie Slaughter argues that in a digital and connected world, the next U.S. president should adopt a global strategy focused on three pillars: open societies, open governments and an open international system. Slaughter asserts that openness is defined by systems that are participatory, transparent and offer autonomy.
Ubercare /// In an effort to boost health care enrollment amongst younger generations, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is working directly with companies like Uber, Lyft, Handy and TaskRabbit to inform their young contractors of the upcoming November 1st open enrollment date. HHS is also advertising on sites like Twitch, Instagram and YouTube to reach younger audiences.
More Than a Like /// Adding to its political features, Facebook now lets users endorse politicians for elected office. Facebook users can also see similar endorsements by friends, public personalities and organizations.
Unfollow /// Perhaps in conflict with the feature above, according to a Pew Research Center survey, more than one-third of Americans “are worn out by how many political posts and discussions they see,” compared to 20% who like seeing these posts. The survey also found that 59% feel discussing politics on social media with people who have opposing viewpoints to be stressful and frustrating.
Digital Health /// These four companies are using technology, including apps and algorithms, to help consumers and employers navigate the marketplace for health insurance.
Who Let the Botnets Out /// Last week’s distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack against Dyn’s managed DNS infrastructure temporarily shut down much of the Internet’s largest websites including Twitter, Netflix and CNN. The attack, which is reportedly the largest of its kind, used a massive botnet of internet-connected devices infected with Mirai malware.
Social Media for Social Justice /// Wired featured the efforts of Rashad Robinson, executive director of Color of Change, to utilize new media to build the country’s largest online civil rights organization. In the piece, Robinson discussed OrganizeFor, the organization’s platform that empowers supporters to launch their own social justice campaigns.
Clips Worth Clicking /// President Obama delivered remarks at the White House Frontiers Conference. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker discussedthe possible impact of artificial intelligence on the American workforce. The Financial Times will launch a new podcast next week to explore the impact of technology on economies, societies and how we think.
Upcoming Events /// Fast Company’s Innovation Festival in NYC from November 1–4 (20% discount with code “BUDDYPASS”). ReCode’s Code Enterprise in San Francisco from November 14–15. TNW Momentum in Brooklyn on November 16.
///OPPORTUNITIES
Public Policy Manager /// Facebook /// DC
Chief Operating Officer /// Color of Change /// NYC or Oakland
Audience Development and Social Media Manager /// NationSwell /// NYC
Membership Growth Director /// NationSwell /// NYC
Communications Officer /// The World Bank /// DC
Director, Technology Impact and Innovation /// Water.org /// SF
Senior Policy Associate /// Tesla /// DC
Associate /// What Works Cities /// NYC
