The Big Story 

As the immigration protests unfolded in Los Angeles, a flurry of misinformation hit social media platforms, sparking further confusion and tension in an already chaotic environment.  

© AP Photo/Ethan Swope

The demonstrations and the conflicting accounts surrounding them highlight the role social media plays in times of crisis.  

In this case, social media appeared to play an even larger role as a growing number of users turned to artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots – often with varying degrees of accuracy – to discern what was real and what was not.  

“The past is prequel…everything we’re seeing is what we’ve seen in the past, simply in some cases with new technology applied,” said Darren Linvill, a researcher at Clemson University’s Media Forensics Hub. 

While accurate, real-time updates were published on the protests, so were posts containing fake images, conspiracy theories or misleading information that garnered hundreds of thousands of views online.  

These posts were shared by various users, from smaller accounts to well-known political figures like Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).  

Cruz was among several on X to repost a video showing multiple police cars damaged or set ablaze. The Texas Republican shared the video to argue the protests in Los Angeles were not as peaceful as some Democrats claimed. 

It was later revealed the video was not from this week, but from the protests over George Floyd’s death in 2020.  A community note was eventually added clarifying it was old footage, prompting Cruz and others to delete the video. 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D)’s press office weighed in on the video writing on X, “Misinformation like this only adds to the chaos the Trump administration is seeking. Check your sources before sharing info!” 

Other posts took images from video games or movies like Blue Thunder, which takes place in Los Angeles, to make it seem like there is a significant military presence in the city after President Trump deployed the National Guard and Marines to quell the protests over the weekend.  

“People believe what they want to believe and so when they are seeing information that confirms their prior beliefs, they’re going to repost it. They’re going to believe it…regardless of whether that information is true,” Linvill said.  

Experts say the situation underscores the increasing influence social media has in shaping public opinion and the upped risks with AI in the mix.  

Read more in a report Wednesday morning at TheHill.com

Welcome to The Hill’s Technology newsletter, we’re Miranda Nazzaro and Julia Shapero — tracking the latest moves from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley.

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Crypto Corner 

Congress shifts into high gear on crypto

© Greg Nash

Welcome to Crypto Corner, a daily feature focused on digital currency and its outlook in Washington.

Congress is getting down to business on crypto legislation.

The House Agriculture Committee on Tuesday held a relatively brief markup on the CLARITY Act, voting 47-6 to advance the legislation after about two and a half hours.

The bill aims to divvy up oversight of the digital assets market between two regulators — the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

At the same time on Tuesday, a very different scene was unfolding in the House Financial Services Committee, where lawmakers were also considering the market structure bill.

The bill must be approved by both House panels, which separately oversee the SEC and the CFTC.

However, the process was expected to be much more drawn out in the House Financial Services Committee, where Democrats planned to put forward dozens of amendments to the CLARITY Act.

As of Tuesday evening, lawmakers were still discussing amendments after about four hours of deliberation. After the lengthy process, the legislation is expected to advance.

Over on the other side of the Capitol, the Senate Agriculture Committee heard from President Trump’s nominee to lead the CFTC, Brian Quintenz, on Tuesday.

If confirmed, Quintenz would take the reins of the agency just as it is expected to take on greater authority overseeing digital assets.

The upper chamber is also preparing to move forward with another procedural vote on stablecoin legislation on the Senate floor Wednesday.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) moved to end debate Monday on the updated text of the GENIUS Act, kicking off what is likely to be the final set of votes on the bill.

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