Tech executives are holding a secret meeting on cybersecurity

Tech companies are banding together to mitigate election interference.

Executives from companies like Facebook and Twitter are meeting Friday to discuss their efforts to secure their platforms ahead of the midterm elections, BuzzFeed News reports.

An email from Facebook's head of cybersecurity shows that a dozen companies are joining in on the meeting at Twitter's headquarters in San Francisco, including social media brands like Snapchat and other major companies like Google and Microsoft. The meeting is a follow-up after nine companies met at Facebook in May to talk with the FBI's Foreign Influence Task Force. This time, reports BuzzFeed News, the representatives will share what they are doing to counter efforts to manipulate their platform, discuss what problems they face, and consider making the meetings a recurring event.

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Social media platforms have been removing foreign accounts that are spreading misleading political content, as well as cracking down on accounts that are suspected to be part of coordinated manipulation efforts. Each company is reportedly deploying a unique strategy in the last couple of months before the midterm elections, and the secret meeting is intended to align the strategies as the platforms face increasing scrutiny from users and lawmakers. Read more at BuzzFeed News.

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Summer Meza, The Week US

Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.