Recode Decode: Hillary Clinton, former U.S. Secretary of State (Code Conference 2017)

Russian Tactics

Hillary Clinton discusses the significant role Russian influence played in the 2016 election, highlighting the collaboration between domestic fake news operations and Russian cyber capabilities. She explains that the Russian military intelligence arm, GRU, effectively used cyber operations to disseminate misinformation, aided by platforms like WikiLeaks and DC Leaks 1. Clinton emphasizes the importance of understanding how these tactics influenced the campaign, noting the intelligence community's conclusion that Russia ran an extensive information war against her campaign 2.

The Russians, in my opinion, and based on the intel and counter intel people I've talked to, could not have known how best to weaponize that information unless they had been guided.

--- Hillary Clinton

She suggests that Americans, possibly including Donald Trump, may have guided the Russians in targeting their efforts 3.

   

Fake News

Clinton addresses the pervasive impact of fake news during the election, noting how false information was strategically used to sway voter perceptions. She points out that platforms like Facebook were flooded with fake news, much of it linked to Russian agents and bots, which significantly influenced public opinion 4. Clinton criticizes the media's role in amplifying these false narratives, which led to widespread misinformation among voters, particularly in key states like Wisconsin and Pennsylvania 5.

Lies are really, that's a good word, too. The other side was using content that was just flat out false and delivering it in a very personalized way.

--- Hillary Clinton

She highlights the challenges faced by voters inundated with misleading content, which contributed to voter suppression and confusion 6.