Current:Home > ScamsNikki Haley calls for name verification in social media profiles: "This is a national security threat"-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Nikki Haley calls for name verification in social media profiles: "This is a national security threat"
View Date:2024-12-23 14:14:09
Republican presidential candidate and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, on Tuesday, called for name verification on all social media profiles saying anonymous accounts and bots spreading misinformation are a national security threat.
"When I get into office, the first thing we have to do, social media companies, they have to show America their algorithms. Let us see why they're pushing, what they're pushing," Haley said in an interview with Fox News Tuesday.
The former U.N. ambassador blamed Russia, China, Iran and North Korea for spreading misinformation on social media that divides Americans.
"This is a national security threat," Haley said during a Tuesday morning appearance on the "Ruthless Podcast," where she first raised the idea of name verification on social media.
"They are giving the narrative to the American people, so you've got college kids everywhere on campuses thinking that they are fighting the occupation of Gaza. There are no Israelis in Gaza. There are no Jewish people in Gaza. There is only Hamas and Gaza."
On Wednesday, on CNBC's "Squawk Box," Haley clarified she was not asking for a ban on Americans posting anonymously on social media sites.
"I don't mind anonymous American people having free speech — what I don't like is anonymous Russians and Chinese and Iranians having free speech," Haley said.
"Russia, Iran and China, North Korea too, know that the cheapest form of warfare is to spread misinformation."
Haley's remarks were instantly met with pushback from her rivals.
On Wednesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said on "The Glenn Beck Program" that "forcing disclosure of names and registration, that's what China has done… that is totally inappropriate for the United States of America."
DeSantis went on to say there's a tradition of anonymous political speech in the U.S., noting that the Federalist Papers were published anonymously. "I wasn't surprised she said it because I think that's who she is. But it was totally out of bounds of what would be acceptable in the Republican Party," he added.
A spokesperson for the Haley campaign said "Americans have a right to free speech, including having anonymous accounts on social media. What Nikki doesn't support is letting the Chinese and Iranians create anonymous accounts to spread chaos and anti-American filth among our people."
"They're doing that as we speak, and it's a national security threat. Social media companies have to do a way better job policing that. Clearly, Ron DeSantis wants to let Chinese propaganda machines run wild on social media without any restrictions," the spokesperson added.
DeSantis and Haley have been battling for second place in early-voting states. Recent polling shows Haley has had some momentum coming out of a series of strong debate performances, bringing her to a tie with DeSantis in the latest Des Moines Register/NBC polling, which was published after the first two debates, but before the third debate.
Vivek Ramaswamy, who champions himself as a proponent of free speech, also joined in the criticism of Haley's proposal, calling it "disgusting" and a "flagrant violation of the Constitution and straight out of the Democrats' playbook."
Ramaswamy, like DeSantis, brought up the Federalist Papers and said on X, "Alexander Hamilton, John Jay & James Madison wrote the Federalist Papers under pseudonym. Here's what they would say to @NikkiHaley if they were alive: get your heels off my neck & go back to England."
The ceo of X, Elon Musk, mocked Haley over the proposal for social media platforms. "Super messed up," he posted. "She can stop pretending to run for president now."
Conservatives have long pushed for less censorship of their views on social media. It's part of the ongoing debate about how much responsibility tech companies should bear in preventing the spread of misinformation, especially by foreign actors.
In September, the State Department released a report saying Beijing continues to spend billions annually on information manipulation efforts by acquiring stakes in foreign media, through content censorship, sponsoring online influencers and by securing agreements that promote unlabeled Chinese government content. The U.S. warned this could lead to "less global freedom of expression."
"Data harvested by People's Republic of China corporations operating overseas have enabled Beijing to fine-tune global censorship by targeting specific individuals and organizations" the report stated.
A month before the report was released, social media giant Meta announced it had removed over 7,000 fake accounts on Facebook linked to Chinese law enforcement that were intent on pushing pro-China talking points. META at the time referred to it as "the largest known cross-platform covert influence operation in the world."
Nidia CavazosNidia Cavazos is a 2024 campaign reporter for CBS News.
InstagramveryGood! (23)
Related
- Forget the bathroom. When renovating a home, a good roof is a no-brainer, experts say.
- Largest wildfire in Louisiana history was caused by arson, state officials say
- The US government is eager to restore powers to keep dangerous chemicals out of extremists’ hands
- How heat can take a deadly toll on humans
- When does 'Dune: Prophecy' come out? Release date, cast, where to watch prequel series
- Burning Man Festival 2023: One Person Dead While Thousands Remain Stranded at After Rain
- 1st Africa Climate Summit opens as hard-hit continent of 1.3 billion demands more say and financing
- Minnesota prison on lockdown after about 100 inmates refused to return to cells amid heat wave
- 2025 NFL mock draft: QBs Shedeur Sanders, Cam Ward crack top five
- Tens of thousands still stranded by Burning Man flooding in Nevada desert
Ranking
- Today's Craig Melvin Replacing Hoda Kotb: Everything to Know About the Beloved Anchor
- 4 things to know on Labor Day — from the Hot Labor Summer to the Hollywood strikes
- Driver survives 100-foot plunge off cliff, 5 days trapped in truck
- Teen shot dead by police after allegedly killing police dog, firing gun at officers
- Roster limits in college small sports put athletes on chopping block while coaches look for answers
- Mets slugger Pete Alonso reaches 40 homers to join very exclusive club
- The US government is eager to restore powers to keep dangerous chemicals out of extremists’ hands
- Jimmy Buffett remembered by Elton John, Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson: 'A lovely man gone way too soon'
Recommendation
-
Angels sign Travis d'Arnaud: Former All-Star catcher gets multiyear contract in LA
-
Remains of British climber who went missing 52 years ago found in the Swiss Alps
-
Takeaways from AP’s reporting on efforts to restore endangered red wolves to the wild
-
Aerosmith singer and Maui homeowner Steven Tyler urges tourists to return to the island
-
Taylor Swift's Mom Andrea Gives Sweet Nod to Travis Kelce at Chiefs Game
-
Sweet emotion in Philadelphia as Aerosmith starts its farewell tour, and fans dream on
-
UAW’s clash with Big 3 automakers shows off a more confrontational union as strike deadline looms
-
Police: 5 killed, 3 others hurt in Labor Day crash on interstate northeast of Atlanta