Hillary Clinton

The 2016 email investigation and election-era online influence operations made Hillary Clinton a recurring focal point for coverage of platform-driven political manipulation.

Who they are

Hillary Clinton appears in this coverage principally as the 2016 Democratic presidential candidate and former secretary of state whose private-email practices, campaign, and treatment on major social platforms became reference points in reporting on US political technology and information operations. The stories connect her to Facebook, Twitter and Russian-linked activity as well as to Donald Trump and pro-Trump groups.

The recent arc

Coverage peaked in 2016Q3, when the FBI recommended against an indictment over Clinton’s email handling while finding classified information in 110 emails across 52 chains. That period also produced stories about leaked Podesta emails and pro-Trump online campaigning, including reporting that Oculus founder Palmer Luckey funded a group dedicated to internet “shitposting” and “meme magic.”