Stuff YOU Should Know
Brexit Bots?
If you follow the news, you’ve probably heard a lot about the possibility of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Most recently, it was revealed that Russia purchased ads on Facebook and Google during the election season in an effort to sway voters. As it turns out, however, the United States was not the only target of Russian social media interference. Facebook has also admitted to removing 30,000 fake accounts which were attempting to influence the 2016 French election.
The latest nation to examine the possibility of Russian tampering in their elections is Britain. Last year, Britain’s vote to separate from the European Union–commonly known as “Brexit”–passed by only 52 percent, or about 1.3 million votes. The British Parliament is now asking Facebook, Twitter, and Google to release information about Russia using social media to influence the outcome of the Brexit referendum. Russia views the European Union as a threat and supports any attempts to undermine it, and so it has always been an open supporter of Brexit. A recent study found more than 13,000 suspected “bot” accounts that may have been used to influence the vote.
Damian Collins, the Parliament member leading the inquiry, sent letters to Twitter, Facebook, and Google, asking them to release relevant information. Google didn’t respond. Facebook said they would respond once the company had been able to review the request. Twitter didn’t comment, but revealed that they are now catching about 3.2 million suspicious accounts every week–about twice what they caught last year, during the Brexit referendum. It’s hard to tell if this is because more bogus accounts exist, or because authorities are getting better at detecting them.
What Do You Think? Why do you think Russia would interfere with elections in other countries? What does Russia stand to gain by influencing other nations’ election outcomes?
Catalonian Conflict Intensifies
In the latest development in the Catalonia independence movement, the Spanish government has fired the Catalonian leader, Carles Puigdemont, and dissolved the region’s parliament. This means that Spain now will have direct control over Catalonia for the first time since 1978. Moreover, members of the Catalan legislature who voted in favor of secession could be tried for sedition, or even rebellion.
Spain is able to do this because according to the Spanish Constitution, the Catalonian vote for independence was illegal in the first place, and so it was never really a valid election. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, the leader of Spain, invoked Article 155 of the Constitution, the so-called “nuclear option”–never before used–that states that the Spanish government can take control over any region that threatens the country’s general interests. However, even with the backing of the constitution, this latest move by the Spanish government could potentially escalate tensions and cause the pro-independence movement to gain strength.
Both sides have accused the other of poor communication up to this point. Prime Minister Rajoy has promised that Catalonia will hold new regional elections on December 21. In the meantime, however, the region remains under Spanish control. The rest of the European Union (EU) has already stated that they will not recognize an independent Catalonia.
What Do You Think? Imagine that you live in Catalonia. Write a letter to the editor of your local paper in which you argue in favor of or against Catalonian independence, and why?
Boy Scout Allows Girl Members
Earlier this month, Boy Scouts of America made the announcement that it would begin allowing girls to join and eventually earn the highest rank of Eagle Scout. According to the organization, this shift came about because the values and experiences that Boy Scouts offers are beneficial to both males and females. But one group openly opposes the change: the Girl Scouts of the USA.
Opening Boy Scout membership to girls offers several advantages. First, scouting families will now be able to participate in Boy Scout activities with both their sons and daughters earning credits and badges. This also marks the latest step in an effort by Boy Scouts to broaden their membership in ways that are largely positive: in 2013, they allowed openly gay scouts; in 2015, they allowed openly gay leaders; and earlier this year, they allowed transgender members as well. BSA also argues that scouting in many European countries is already co-educational (meaning that girls and boys participate together), and that it can be empowering for girls to join what has traditionally been a boys-only organization.
Girl Scouts, however, argues that the only reason Boy Scouts is allowing girls in is because their membership numbers and reputation are plummeting. In a letter to the Boy Scouts national president, GSUSA president Kathy Hopinkah Hannan suggested that Boy Scouts should focus on recruiting from the more than 90 percent of boys who are not currently involved in scouting, rather than try to steal business from the Girl Scouts. Moreover, GSUSA stressed the importance of girl-led, girl-focused activities in girl-only spaces to encourage leadership and independence among young women, without the influence of boys or male leaders. She stated that Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts have coexisted respectfully for more than 100 years–Boy Scouts serving boys and Girl Scouts serving girls–and should continue to do so in the same way now.
What Do You Think? Do you think Boy Scouts should admit girl members? Why or why not? Please remember to be respectful with your answer.
Massive Subaru Recall Underway
There is more trouble in Japan’s auto industry.
Japanese cars are known for their high quality. However, the Japanese auto industry has suffered several blows recently. Last year, Mitsubishi and Suzuki both admitted that they had cheated on tests to make their vehicles look more fuel efficient than they really were. Then Takata, an airbag maker whose faulty airbags caused more than a dozen deaths, went bankrupt in June after recalling tens of millions of vehicles–the largest auto safety recall in history. Earlier this month, Japanese car company Nissan admitted to allowing uncertified inspectors to test their cars for the past three years. As a result, Nissan stopped production at all of its Japanese factories and began recalling 1.2 million vehicles.
Now, Subaru has confessed to doing the same thing Nissan did. The company will now recall 255,000 vehicles (in Japan) and have them inspected again by certified employees. The process is expected to cost five billion yen, or about $44 million. According to Subaru, the problem occurred at the final inspection stage before the vehicles left the factory. Each Japanese automobile is required to have a special certificate proving that they are roadworthy. These final inspections were performed by employees who did not have the proper training to do so. Both Subaru and Nissan admit that these improper checks may have been going on for decades, even though they have not been linked to any crashes or deaths as a result.