中英對照讀新聞》Social networks on back foot as digital campaigns expand tactics 數位選戰擴增戰術，社群網路居守勢

手機上的Twitter應用程式圖示。（美聯社檔案照）

◎管淑平

Social platforms are scrambling to cope with the onslaught of political messages involving celebrity endorsements, bots and manipulated videos as the US election campaign is shaken up by Democratic candidate Michael Bloomberg’s deep-pocketed efforts.

民主黨參選人麥可．彭博的銀彈攻勢撼動美國選戰，社群平台也因此忙著應付各種政治訊息攻勢，包括名人背書、機器人和經改造的影片。

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Billionaire Bloomberg has created new challenges for social networks by using paid celebrity "influencers" and "digital organizers" to post messages about his campaign.

億萬富豪彭博利用付費名人「意見領袖」和「數位組織者」，張貼他選戰活動訊息，為社群網路帶來新挑戰。

"The Bloomberg campaign has taken us into uncharted waters," testing social networks’ policy on deception and manipulation, said Emerson Brooking, a researcher at the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab.

大西洋理事會數位鑑識實驗室研究員艾默森．布魯金說，「彭博的選戰把我們帶進未知領域」，測試社群網路針對欺騙和操弄內容的政策。

Brooking said that paying an army of social media users to post on his behalf borders on deceptive because it "is intended to create the appearance of a digital grassroots that may not exist." （AFP）

布魯金說，花錢請一支社群媒體用戶大軍為他發文，此舉近乎欺騙，因為「這是意在製造一股數位基層支持群的表象，而這些支持群或許其實並不存在」。（法新社）

新聞辭典

be on back foot： 片語，處於劣勢。例句：Our party’s candidate will be on the back foot on various security issues.（本黨候選人在許多安全議題上處於劣勢。）

scramble to：動詞，倉皇去做某事。例句： People are scrambling to buy face masks as the disease is spreading further in the country.（隨著這疾病的疫情正在國內進一步蔓延，人們趕忙著買口罩。）

border on sth.：動詞，接近、幾乎是。His newfound confidence borders on arrogance. （他新建立起的信心近乎自大。）

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