Greetings Future Tensers—
After a flurry of speculation about Russia interfering in our presidential election over the past few months, the picture is becoming clearer. Retired naval officer Ted Johnson, who worked in information warfare, writes that though the Kremlin didn’t hack the actual election, its cyberinterventionism did something just as menacing: It hacked us, the voters. Russia was behind many of the stories, both real and fake, that dominated the campaign—particularly pro-Trump propaganda and the Democratic National Committee hacks. Manipulating the news cycle, it turns out, was much easier than trying to hack into voting machines.
Russian hackers didn’t just target the DNC. According to a New York Times report, intelligence agencies concluded with “high confidence” that cyberspies gained access to Republican National Committee’s computer systems too. Though RNC Chairman Reince Priebus quickly rejected the claims, Josephine Wolff writes there’s no way he could know this. Anyone who confidently, categorically denies such a breach is, she says, “either flat-out lying or dangerously delusional.”
Speaking of undermining democracy, we have published a lot about the ascendance of “fake news” (including why it’s a knotty term) and its power in our polarized political environment. And now, Slate has done something about it with “This Is Fake,” a Chrome extension that will flag those bogus stories Uncle Joe keeps sharing and give you the opportunity to help debunk them. Be a good internet citizen and join the fight against media dysfunction.
Here are some other stories we read between trying to prevent the next “Pizzagate”:
Wrongful Arrest by Software: California’s Alameda County has a glitch. When it upgraded its court case management system, software errors led to dozens of mistaken arrests and detentions. University of California–Davis law professor Elizabeth Joh explains how these big data hitches can lead to even bigger injustices.
‘Tis the Season: Suzanne Monyak gives us a friendly holiday reminder not to click on those “Undelivered Package” emails, which hackers love to use to lure unsuspecting gift-givers.
What a Year for a New Year: We’re starting 2017 out with a monster. And no, we’re not talking about the new president. January means Futurography is back, and we’re kicking off with a deep dive into how Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein changed the ways we think about scientific advancement. Jacob Brogan previews what else we have in store.
Upcoming events:
- TONIGHT: Join Future Tense in New York for a happy hour conversation with Tim Wu and New York Times writer (and Slate alumna) Amanda Hess about the barrage of distraction our connected age has ushered in—and the consequences we may face for leading more artificially moderated lives. For more information and to RSVP, visit the New America website.
- RESCHEDULED: Will the internet always be American? On Tuesday, Jan. 24, Future Tense will host a live event in Washington, D.C., to explore the internet’s nationality, and the extent to which it’s an expression of American culture, and how that may be changing. You can RSVP to attend in person or watch online here.
Flagging the fakeries,
Kirsten Berg
for Future Tense
Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University.
