FILE - In this April 23, 2019, file photo, immigration activists rally outside the Supreme Court as the justices hear arguments over the Trump administration's plan to ask about citizenship on the 2020 Census, in Washington. Worried about internet trolls and foreign powers spreading false news, census officials are preparing to battle misinformation campaigns for the first time in the bureau's 230-year history. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
The Associated Press
CHICAGO (AP) - Census officials are preparing to battle the spread of fake news by internet trolls and foreign powers for the first time in the count's 230-year history.
The stakes are huge. Who participates in the 2020 census count could influence how U.S. congressional seats and billions of federal tax dollars to educate children, help low-income families and pave new roads are divvied up.
"It's a fine target," former U.S. Census Bureau director John Thompson said of the form, which is sent every decade to households in America to count the population. "If you want to disrupt a democracy, you can certainly go about it by disrupting a census."
Facebook and Twitter said they will use a mix of people and artificial intelligence to spot, review and remove troublesome posts.
FILE - In this June 27, 2019, file photo, demonstrators gather at the Supreme Court as the justices finish the term with key decisions on gerrymandering and a census case involving an attempt by the Trump administration to ask everyone about their citizenship status in the 2020 census, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Worried about internet trolls and foreign powers spreading false news, census officials are preparing to battle misinformation campaigns for the first time in the bureau's 230-year history. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
The Associated Press