FBI, Florida officials warn voters about spreading disinformation ahead of Election Day
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - With Election Day three weeks away, the FBI and Florida state officials are warning voters about the spread of disinformation.
FBI Director Christopher Wray told Congress three weeks ago that the agency has not seen voter fraud but did warn of “Foreign Actors and cyber criminals” spreading false information to "manipulate public opinion” and discredit the election.
President Donald Trump has claimed without evidence that mail-in ballots will lead to vote rigging, while his opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden, has said he has confidence in the election.
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Those in charge of the security for the election are reminding the public that disinformation is designed to make you feel emotions like anger or shock, and are asking people to think before they share a link.
Florida Secretary of State Laurel Lee says her office is tracking disinformation that’s being spread on Facebook and Twitter. Some posts have told voters the date of the election has moved, or their precinct has been changed.
“If you get information in your Facebook feed that Election Day has been moved to Wednesday, or that your precinct is closed and you have to drive 30 minutes away, this is the type of information we want to encourage all Floridians don't get it anywhere but your Supervisor of Elections office,” Lee said.
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Last month, Twitter, Facebook and Google all vowed to block voter misinformation. In Twitter’s case, by either flagging or removing content.