Pew Research analysis
webCredibility Rating
High quality. Established institution or organization with editorial oversight and accountability.
Rating inherited from publication venue: Pew Research Center
Relevant to AI governance discussions about how bots and automated systems can corrupt public comment processes, raising questions about ensuring authentic democratic input in regulatory proceedings involving emerging technologies.
Metadata
Summary
Pew Research Center analyzed the 21.7 million public comments submitted to the FCC during the 2017 net neutrality proceeding, finding that the vast majority were form letters or duplicates, and that a significant portion appeared to be fake or automated submissions. The study highlights how public comment processes can be gamed by coordinated campaigns using bots and fake identities, undermining the integrity of democratic regulatory input.
Key Points
- •Over 21.7 million comments were submitted to the FCC, but the vast majority were duplicate or near-duplicate form letters from coordinated campaigns.
- •A large share of comments used fake names, temporary email addresses, or showed other signs of automated or fraudulent submission.
- •Only a small fraction of comments (~800,000) were unique, making genuine public input difficult to distinguish from artificial submissions.
- •The study raises serious concerns about the vulnerability of open public comment systems to manipulation by bots and astroturfing campaigns.
- •Findings are relevant to AI governance discussions about how automated systems can undermine democratic participation and policy legitimacy.
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