Author: TheConversation

By Filippo Menczer, Professor of Informatics and Computer Science, Indiana University Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter on October 27, 2022 has triggered renewed debate about what it means for the future of the social media platform, which plays an important role in determining the news and information many Americans are exposed to. In addition to expanding Twitter’s features, Musk has said he wants to make it an arena for free speech. What that means has fueled much speculation and raised concerns about the effect the acquisition will have on the 2022 midterm elections – and use of the platform...

By Natasha Warikoo, Lenore Stern Professor in the Humanities and Social Sciences, Tufts University The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments in two lawsuits on October 31, 2022, brought by a group that opposes affirmative action in college admissions. The newly released book Is Affirmative Action Fair?: The Myth of Equity in College Admissions, shares insights on how the racial and ethnic makeup of student bodies at selective colleges and universities will change if the Supreme Court decides to outlaw affirmative action. What is at stake with the cases against affirmative action? Currently, many selective colleges consider race...

By Keith Raymond Harris, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Philosophy, Ruhr University Bochum There is an open question among pundits and researchers: Do more Americans believe in conspiracy theories now than ever before? But as a scholar of conspiracy theories and their believers, I am concerned that focusing on how many Americans believe conspiracy theories can distract from their dangers. Even if most people dismiss conspiracy theories or accept them only in some limited sense, leaving very small numbers of true believers, the high visibility of these false ideas can still make them dangerous. Association without belief Philosophers often suppose...

By Amel Ahmed, Associate Professor of Political Science, UMass Amherst When people think about making elections secure, they often think about voting machines, cybersecurity and mechanical threats. They do not think about people. Since 2016, when there was evidence of computer hacking that did not affect the election’s results, the federal government has taken significant steps to secure elections, such as declaring election systems as crucial to national security as the defense industry, nuclear power plants and highways. This has allowed state and local officials to apply for federal funding and technical support to buy equipment and get training...

By Richard Forno, Principal Lecturer in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, University of Maryland, Baltimore County A warning about the threat of political violence before the 2022 midterm elections was issued to state and local law enforcement officials by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on October 28, 2022. The bulletin was released the same day that Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi’s husband was hospitalized after a home invasion by a lone right-wing extremist seeking to harm her. This incident is the latest in an increasing stream of extremist confrontations taking place across the United States...

By Thom Reilly, Professor & Co-Director, Center for an Independent and Sustainable Democracy, School of Public Affairs, Arizona State University As the U.S. moves closer to the 2022 midterm elections, a sizable number of Americans express a lack of confidence in the accuracy of the vote count. That distrust is built largely on the widespread – and false – assertion that Donald Trump was re-elected in the 2020 presidential election, and that Joe Biden’s win was based on fraud. Despite the 2020 election being the most secure in American history, and the courts and U.S. Department of Justice uncovering...