Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Russia-Linked Twitter Accounts 'Tried To Divide UK' After Terrorist Attacks (theguardian.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the false-information dept.

AmiMoJo shares a report from The Guardian: Fake social media accounts linked to Russia were used to influence and interfere with public debate in the aftermath of four terrorist attacks in the UK this year, researchers have found. At least 47 Russian Twitter accounts posted material after attacks at Westminster Bridge, Manchester Arena, London Bridge and Finsbury Park, according to researchers at the Cardiff University Crime and Security Research Institute (CSRI). Of the 47 accounts, eight were especially active, posting at least 475 tweets about the four attacks, which were reposted more than 153,000 times. The accounts intervened on both sides of polarized debates to ramp up the level of discord online, the research found.

19 of 133 comments (clear)

  1. Only 47? by HornWumpus · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Seriously 47? I call bullshit, there have to be more Russian trolls on twitter at any given second. And Americans, and Germans, and Australians, and Indians. Trolling is a world wide passtime.

    --
    John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    1. Re:Only 47? by AHuxley · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Think of the debate within NATO on that number.

      Contractors wanting more over time prove 4700000 accounts are spreading news about what the Religion of War is doing.
      The NSA and GCHQ are sure its 47000000 accounts and want more funding to examine 5 hops from every account.
      MI5 and the FBI don't have 42300000 trusted contractors to watch 4700000 accounts in 24h shifts of 3 contractors.
      Some NATO nations are sure they cannot fund the over time for 3 investigators on weekends.

      After much internal debate the number 47 is selected from a list of bigger numbers.
      Its not a scary big number and can be presented like the Western security services have total control of the Religion of War issue.
      500 contractors watch over 47 accounts in shifts. A number NATO spending can cover.

      Trusted US and European news and social media dutifully push out the 47 number.

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
    2. Re: Only 47? by c6gunner · · Score: 2

      500 contractors watching 47 accounts?

      You do realize that we have these fancy doohickeys called "computers" these days, right?

  2. So did Russia also sponsor those attacks? by Balial · · Score: 2

    Or is that just too much conspiracy?

    1. Re: So did Russia also sponsor those attacks? by c6gunner · · Score: 4, Funny

      Of course they did. They also faked the moon landing and gave the footage to NASA.

    2. Re: So did Russia also sponsor those attacks? by Balial · · Score: 2

      That also explains the chemtrails that cause climate change!

  3. Oh yeah by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I totally believe this guys! You should too.
    The Russians stole my sandwich today also.

  4. I refuse to believe this MSM bs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    there is no more Russian trolls/hackers than anywhere else. This leftist conspiracy nonsense has to stop

  5. Reposted about 300 times each by SlaveToTheGrind · · Score: 5, Insightful

    And created some sort of ill-defined "discord" -- maybe.

    Meanwhile, U.S. "journalist" Brian Ross's fake news about Michael Flynn was retweeted over 25,000 times in less than half a day and caused the stock market to tank.

    So yes, let's definitely keep the focus where it belongs -- on a handful of posts from Rooshun nobodies. Because that's clearly what's dividing everyone.

    1. Re: Reposted about 300 times each by cyber-vandal · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The newspapers in the UK are far more effective at sowing discord than a few trolls on a platform that the majority of the country doesn't use.

    2. Re:Reposted about 300 times each by SlaveToTheGrind · · Score: 2

      What-about-ism.

      Well, no. It's exactly this kind of tripe that IS the what-about-ism. Show me the first article on this site about the Brian Ross debacle. There isn't a single one (and that holds true for the vast majority of attempts by the official media channels to foment the masses), yet we're treated to several poorly written, poorly sourced, handwaving articles a week about supposed Reds under our beds. It's nothing but a distraction from the misinformation campaign we're treated to on a daily basis from the supposed good guys.

      This kind of crap is what lead to the murder of a British Member of Parliament.

      Rank speculation. Your article didn't even come close to connecting those dots.

  6. The Cleverest Social Media in the World by AHuxley · · Score: 5, Funny

    47 accounts that have a hall full of the best anthropologists, psychologists, psychiatrists and propagandists to support them.
    Halls of select staff in isolated, sealed military cities.
    Hand crafting every word on typewriters to ensure total security from the NSA and GCHQ.
    The final approved message is transmitted by number station https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... deep into the UK.
    After the one time pad is used once a message is released on to waiting social media in a NATO nation.
    The account has a real ip and looks like an average ISP. Using a desktop computer and consumer OS.
    The ill equipped minds of the average European cant handle the flow of such quality statements.

    --
    Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
  7. Has the world gone mad? by William+Baric · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Between the alt-right who thinks the Jews are controlling the world and the left who thinks it's Putin who is controlling the world, I'm beginning to think that flat-Earthers are not that bad after all.

    Am I the only person on this planet who is still sane?

    1. Re:Has the world gone mad? by AmiMoJo · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The rational thing to do is look at the evidence. There is evidence that Russia is influencing people in the West.

      Is it really surprising that Russia continues to use propaganda, especially now that we build these effective tools to disseminate it?

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    2. Re:Has the world gone mad? by William+Baric · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Yes, the rational thing to do is look at the evidence. So can we look at it? Because up to now, the only "evidence" is that there are people who say there is evidence, but we don't see any actual evidence. For example, can we look at those ads that RT America bought on Facebook to judge if the conspiracy theory can possibly be true? I'm asking this because I did see a few ads from RT in the past (not on Facebook since I don't use it), and they looked to me like all ads from any news media. It looked to me the goal of those ads were to attract viewers, nothing more.

      Anyway, do you realize the alt-right is also saying the evidence shows the Jews are controlling the world and trying to destroy white people? For example, they use the "Frankfurt School" and the "Kalergi plan" as evidence. They use the fact that owners of American media are disproportionately Jewish as evidence. They use an awful lot of facts to "prove" their conspiracy theory. Of course, none of the facts presented by the alt-right are logically valid arguments to support their conspiracy theory, but don't you see the people who claim that Russia was behind a propaganda effort to make sure Trump got elected are doing the exact same thing as the alt-right? Don't you see their conspiracy theory is as crazy as the conspiracy theory of the alt-right?

  8. Re:Look, guys, it is obvious what we need to do. by Narcocide · · Score: 2

    This is a perfect example of the type of divisive bullshit they'd be posting too. Almost too perfect of an example, actually...

  9. Color me purple and pink! by phantomfive · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Russians were trying to divide the country? That's awful! It could be worse, imagine if our own politicians were trying to divide the country! Oh, wait.

    --
    "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
  10. They're certainly quick... by Miles_O'Toole · · Score: 2

    I was going to remark that we could expect Russian apologists to swarm to this story in three, two...but I was too late. They're already on it like flies on a fresh turd.

    --
    Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.
  11. Russia faked news says Fake News organization .. by najajomo · · Score: 2

    How Syria's White Helmets became victims of an online propaganda machine

    Syria : White Helmets ... EXPOSED!

    White Helmets' bizarre ‘mannequin challenge’ in Syrian warzone

    Brilliant! Unedited, fake White Helmets 'rescue' video

    Fake News Alert: CNN Finally Admits “White Helmets” Staged Fake Video

    White Helmets”and the winnner isanything but truth

    Meet The Man Behind The Propaganda Rami Abdul Rahman

    The Truth Behind The Oft-Quoted Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

    Syrian Observatory for Human Rights run by immigrant from his UK home

    The rubber babies of Aleppo