The Kamala Harris campaign is facing accusations of manipulating several online platforms, reportedly working to boost her popularity and suppress unfavorable fact-checks. A recent investigation from The Federalist uncovered an alleged operation organized on Discord, involving Harris staffers coordinating mass posts and engagement on platforms like Reddit and X.
Harris staffers reportedly directed volunteers on Reddit to up-vote posts that favor her and down-vote those that are critical, inflating Harris’ online popularity. Thousands of posts allegedly pushed by the campaign have gained over 5.7 million upvotes and hundreds of thousands of comments within weeks. According to The Federalist, over 120 of the top posts in Reddit’s “Politics” section last month originated from Harris supporters.
Elon Musk launching an investigation into Harris campaign's manipulation of social media platforms?
About time someone looked into this! Harris campaign busted for "astroturfing" on Reddit, now caught red-handed again.
When will people learn that fake support doesn't equal…
— Stop Socialist Tyranny (@endlibtyranny) November 4, 2024
On X, similar tactics are said to be used to avoid fact-checks. Harris’ team allegedly directed supporters to mass “dislike” unfavorable “community notes”—the fact-check system on X. By blocking these notes, Harris’ posts can appear unchallenged, making it easier to spread unverified information.
Concerns are also raised about Google’s role. Earlier reports indicated the Harris team changed headlines and subheadings on news articles in search results to portray her in a more favorable light, which misled users looking for mainstream media stories. Elon Musk, CEO of X, has opened an investigation into the Harris campaign’s online activity following these claims, suggesting serious scrutiny on this alleged manipulation.
Are these fake pollsters, social media influencers & goof- ball celebrities being paid to support Kamaliar Harris?
— 🇺🇸 Clayton⚔️Thompson 🗽 (@Sam695411) November 3, 2024
