How much does it cost to influence an election?

Berlin

WANT to influence an election? All you need is about US$400,000, according to cyber security consultant Trend Micro Inc.

That's the sum it takes to buy followers on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, hire companies to write and disseminate fake news postings over a period of 12 months, and run sophisticated web sites to influence public opinion, according to Udo Schneider, a security expert for the German-speaking market at Trend Micro.