The scandal over Russia's alleged conspiracy, surrounding the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, has entered a new phase. It is feared that turmoil in U.S. domestic affairs may expand, bringing about a situation in which the administration becomes unable to keep an eye on issues in the spheres of foreign and security policies, such as North Korean policy.
Special counsel Robert Mueller, investigating the suspected wrongdoing, unveiled indictments at a federal grand jury, accusing 13 Russian individuals and three Russian companies of allegedly interfering in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
According to the indictment, defendants and their co-conspirators repeatedly posted on social media services such as Twitter and Facebook to disparage then Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and to support then Republican candidate Donald Trump.
By creating hundreds of social media accounts in the guise of U.S. citizens, the indicted Russians allegedly spread propaganda as fictitious public "opinion leaders" in the United States.
Defendants also had advertisements posted on social media to promote political rallies. They allegedly aimed at stoking political distrust among voters by heating up the arguments on such issues as immigration and racism.
Clarifying conspiracy holds key
This is the first time that officials concerned on the Russian side have been indicted in the case. One of them was even a person close to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Some of the defendants allegedly made contact with personnel in the Trump camp. The core of the investigation will be whether it can lead to clarifying an alleged conspiracy between the Russian side and the Trump camp.
Mueller is also probing into Trump's own alleged obstruction of justice. He is considering questioning Trump himself over the case.
How the series of investigations unfolds will undoubtedly have an impact on the management of the administration.
Trump has categorically denied the allegations through Twitter, while day after day hurling criticism at targets including Clinton, the Democratic Party, and the administration of former President Barack Obama for its handling of Russian meddling in the presidential election. In November, there are congressional midterm elections slated. It is inevitable that political conflicts and cracks will deepen further.
Not to be overlooked is that the messages and advertisements sent by the Russian side have spread within American society, with their ultimate sources kept hidden. As many as 150 million Americans are said to have come into contact with false information from the Russian side sent through social media.
For Japan and other countries, too, the issue is not someone else's misfortune. In preventing the spread of fake news, the role to be played by social media operators is important.
Facebook has announced that it will switch to a system that will prioritize displaying news from news organizations trusted highly by its users and local news.
Twitter is moving ahead with closing social media accounts that were seen to have been used for Russia's information warfare.
It is vital for social media operators to earnestly tackle the issue: How they can exclude malicious messages while maintaining their own neutrality and guaranteeing the free sending of messages for their users.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Feb. 20, 2018)
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