The Impact of Fake News on Elections

According to the ‘Tek Fog’ expose by the news portal The Wire, the BJP has access to a secret app called ‘Tek Fog’ that can hijack social media, automate hate, and targets thousands of accounts with just a click. The report, when it came out, created a sensation. While A TMC MP has said Tek Fog “has serious ramifications and could jeopardise national security,” a parliamentary panel headed by a Congress leader has sought a response from the Home Ministry.

So, what exactly is Tek Fog? How does automated trolling work, and is it really scalable? What does the Tek Fog expose mean in the context of investigative journalism that straddles the domains of technology, privacy, free speech and politics?

We explore these questions in this episode.

Guest: Samarth Bansal, an independent journalist who runs The Interval, a fortnightly newsletter

Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu

Edited by Reenu Cyriac

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