Explosive Surge of Racist and Misogynist Online Lies Targeting Kamala Harris’ Campaign

Originally published by The 19th.

Vice President Kamala Harris has faced a barrage of racist and misogynistic attacks online. The disinformation targeting her racial and gender identity could intensify as she seeks the Democratic nomination for president. Experts fear tech companies might not adequately prevent its spread this election cycle.

Recent disinformation emerged after President Joe Biden endorsed Harris as his successor. This misinformation, perpetuated by right-wing media and others, primarily focuses on sexist and racist narratives, questioning Harris’s dating history and presidential eligibility. Experts caution against amplifying these falsehoods by highlighting specific disinformation.

Nina Jankowicz, cofounder and CEO of the American Sunlight Project, criticizes tech companies for inadequate efforts to curtail disinformation against female candidates. She notes that some social media moderation systems fail to detect harmful posts due to disguised messaging.

“People have free speech, but posts on violent rhetoric, sexualized narratives, and race-based harassment violate platform terms,” Jankowicz said.

Social media platforms have publicly committed to addressing election-related disinformation generated by AI. However, scrutiny remains over their overall content moderation efforts. For instance, Instagram, owned by Meta, has removed memes with harmful narratives about Harris, while TikTok faced similar issues with manipulated audio.

Many altered images and memes shared about Harris are “cheap fakes” — content created with accessible software, making it harder to detect. Jankowicz expresses concern that such attacks could deter women from pursuing political careers, reinforcing a male-dominated political landscape.

Melanie Smith from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue has researched gendered online attacks against women in politics. Their findings reveal that women of color face a disproportionate amount of online abuse. Smith notes that there have been fewer tools and less communication from tech companies since the 2020 election, making disinformation tracking more challenging.

“We lack infrastructure to detect every instance of deep fake or manipulated audio,” Smith said.

Jankowicz, herself a disinformation target, co-authored a study on gendered abuse of women candidates, revealing that Harris accounted for 78% of recorded gendered abuse instances. This sustained targeting undermines Harris’s credibility and deters public political participation.

Smith emphasizes that the broader goal of disinformation efforts is to reduce women’s participation in democracy. Former President Trump and other politicians have used similar tactics against Harris, often focusing on her personal attributes rather than policy discussions.

Joe Lydgate, cofounder and CEO of the States United Democracy Center, warns that gendered disinformation can escalate into political violence. She stresses the need for law enforcement to be trained to handle threats seriously and responsibly.

“Political leaders have the power to either escalate or de-escalate the political violence we’re witnessing,” Lydgate said.

The online attacks are expected to worsen as Harris solidifies her political standing. Social media moderation is not always effective in capturing coded messages. Smith predicts a rise in organized disinformation campaigns, with opponents testing various false narratives to gauge their impact.

Despite the challenges, many women remain committed to public service. Lydgate calls on political leaders to help reduce the cycle of violence and disinformation in American politics.

“Our leaders must decide whether to raise or lower the temperature,” she said. “They have a real responsibility and power to stop the violence cycle.”