With the intensification of competition between parties and candidates in the Turkish presidential and parliamentary elections to be held on May 14, fears have emerged of campaigns and networks via social media seeking to influence the elections.
Recently, Turkey has been targeted by many disinformation campaigns. Fake social media accounts and networks created hashtags to spread panic during the February earthquakes that hit southern Turkey and spread fake news seeking to disrupt relief and rescue efforts during forest fires in 2021.
In view of the approaching vote in the May 14 presidential and parliamentary elections, which are of great importance to Turkey, Turkish officials and voters are concerned about attempts to manipulate some accounts and electronic networks through social media that work to influence the elections, with evidence that reinforces these concerns.
A few days ago, a misleading news campaign about the health of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan created a state of confusion, and it did not subside until after an official statement to clarify the matter was issued by the Turkish Presidency Communications Department.
Moreover, Turkish local media reported the discovery of six electronic "troll networks", consisting of 121 fake profiles operating at the behest of Turkey's opposition party, the Republican People's Party.
These online "troll armies" have been accused of spreading misinformation and inciting hatred against ethnic groups while also seeking to manipulate perceptions of voting integrity.
And the social media accounts of these networks constantly re-share posts with each other, getting more interaction and reaching larger audiences.
And as part of its endeavor to target a larger segment, the accounts on these electronic networks change the user names and contents of their content periodically, to ensure that they affect the largest number of audiences and reach different demographic structures. These troll accounts that promote various parties often cooperate with illegal betting sites.
With a hotly contested election approaching, attempts to manipulate public opinion via social media present a clear threat that deserves a close watch.
The rise of social media
The emergence of social media has created new opportunities and great challenges in the field of communication, especially in the field of news dissemination.
It also led to the growing role of external interventions aimed at influencing local opinion. This is evident in attempts to influence elections in the United States and in Kenya, as in the famous vote on Britain's exit from the European Union.
Questions about the role of major technology companies
The posting of the “Twitter Files” and the scandal that accompanied it during the 2008 US election shows how big tech players can influence the election process and voters, by suppressing and censoring posts, blocking specific users and biasing content moderation.
Electronic troll armies made up of fake social media profiles can also launch campaigns of misinformation and harassment of targeted social media users.
And the data analytics company Cambridge Analytica was accused of collecting files and personal information on Facebook for millions of American voters and creating software to influence their choices at the polls during the 2016 US elections, which the head of the “Meta” group that owns Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, acknowledged.
"It's become clear over the past two years that we haven't done enough to prevent these tools from being used to do harm either," Zuckerberg said at the time. "This applies to fake news, foreign interference in elections, and developers who misuse people's information."
Now Chat GPT will also search for people's homes
American real estate company Zillow has announced the launch of a ChatGPT plugin, which will help users buy or rent a home.
US real estate company Zillow has announced the launch of a ChatGPT plugin , which will help users buy or rent a home.
The plugin will reportedly help users communicate with an artificial intelligence chatbot about the type of property they want to buy or rent, as well as tell them the location and price .
With this information, the chatbot will look into Zillow's database and provide users with information about homes.
Giving an example, Zillow said: 'If a user searches for two-bedroom, two-bathroom townhouses in Seattle for under $800,000, the AI chatbot will provide relevant information from Zillow's database.'
However, the company says the application will not act as a user, such as scheduling a ride or contacting an agent.
Whether you're looking to buy, rent or just view a property, you can ask about specific property listings or specify homes you're interested in, the company said in a statement.
According to the company, the plug-in is expected to be available initially to select ChatGPT users from May 2 and "broader access is expected in the future."
Zillow said the plugin is currently in early testing, which will allow its team to work with OpenAI to "optimize the experience."
Zillow CTO David Battle said in a statement: 'Generative AI is changing the way people find information. We understand its immense potential and look forward to driving further technological innovation with OpenAI technology in the future.'
The real estate firm added: 'The new Zillow Chat GPT plugin is the latest example of how we're using technology to help unlock information and empower our users. Whether they are buying, renting or selling their home.'
Chatbot responses are limited and consistent with Zillow's data policies, it said.
However, the real estate firm says it cannot control how others, including ChatGPT, use the data.
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