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US Congressmen Reveal Thousands of Facebook Ads Bought By Russian Trolls (mercurynews.com)
An anonymous reader writes: Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee on Thursday released about 3,400 Facebook ads purchased by Russian agents around the 2016 presidential election on issues from immigration to gun control, a reminder of the complexity of the manipulation that Facebook is trying to contain ahead of the midterm elections. The ads, which span from mid-2015 to mid-2017, illustrate the extent to which Kremlin-aligned forces sought to stoke social, cultural and political unrest on one of the Web's most powerful platforms. With the help of Facebook's targeting tools, Russia's online army reached at least 146 million people on Facebook and Instagram, its photo-sharing service, with ads and other posts, including events promoting protests around the country...
Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said lawmakers would continue probing Russia's online disinformation efforts. In February, Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel investigating Russia and the 2016 election, indicted individuals tied to the IRA for trying to interfere in the presidential race. "They sought to harness Americans' very real frustrations and anger over sensitive political matters in order to influence American thinking, voting and behavior," Schiff said in a statement. "The only way we can begin to inoculate ourselves against a future attack is to see first-hand the types of messages, themes and imagery the Russians used to divide us...."
The documents released Thursday also reflect that Russian agents continued advertising on Facebook well after the presidential election... They marketed a page called Born Liberal to likely supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., the data show, an ad that had more than 49,000 impressions into 2017. Together, the ads affirmed the fears of some lawmakers, including Republicans, that Russian agents have continued to try to influence U.S. politics even after the 2016 election. Russian agents also had created thousands of accounts on Twitter, and in January, the company revealed that it discovered more than 50,000 automated accounts, or bots, with links to Russia.
Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said lawmakers would continue probing Russia's online disinformation efforts. In February, Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel investigating Russia and the 2016 election, indicted individuals tied to the IRA for trying to interfere in the presidential race. "They sought to harness Americans' very real frustrations and anger over sensitive political matters in order to influence American thinking, voting and behavior," Schiff said in a statement. "The only way we can begin to inoculate ourselves against a future attack is to see first-hand the types of messages, themes and imagery the Russians used to divide us...."
The documents released Thursday also reflect that Russian agents continued advertising on Facebook well after the presidential election... They marketed a page called Born Liberal to likely supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., the data show, an ad that had more than 49,000 impressions into 2017. Together, the ads affirmed the fears of some lawmakers, including Republicans, that Russian agents have continued to try to influence U.S. politics even after the 2016 election. Russian agents also had created thousands of accounts on Twitter, and in January, the company revealed that it discovered more than 50,000 automated accounts, or bots, with links to Russia.
In my parts about any political force is using shills on forums and even at physical manifestations. Did not democrats use them?
If not, it is very nice of them, but a bit naive.
I don't think anyone is denying that voters are easily swayed by bad propaganda. The problem is that social media has amplified the power of propaganda by order of magnitude compared to the past. The Obama election was the first election in US that demonstrated the power of social media over elections. 2016 was the first time a hostile foreign power successfully swayed our presidential election so of course we need to take a hard look at it to protect future elections. We're ok with our own propaganda, but not ok with foreign propaganda. Our hypocrisy is a moot point. We invade other countries. Does that mean we're ok being invaded?
In soviet russia slashdot trolls you.
... about the writer's use of a four-dot ellipsis. What the heck were you thinking?
...
Everyone here seems to think this is no big deal, and that's a bit odd. The main reason it's a big deal is because it skirts campaign finance laws, which encourages American politicians to court relationships with foreign states who want them elected. If you have a foreign state financing your campaign, that's something the American people really should know. More information and more transparency is better.
The next reason why it's a big deal is that Russia's reason for doing this wasn't about getting Trump elected (they reportedly thought it was impossible) -- it was to weaken the US by stoking more hatred amongst Americans. They're encouraging the far left & right and suppressing the middle group. They've actually succeeded in making you all believe that your "side" winning is more important than working together. Divided you fall.
"I have never let my schooling interfere with my education." - Mark Twain
Russians bought ads in the US to push an agenda and sow discontent. So what?
The First Amendment doesn't just protect the right of Americans to speak, it protects the right of Americans to hear all views and propaganda, including that of foreigners. This is also not new. Russia has been trying to sow discontent and anger (including using race as an issue) in the US since the Russian revolution. Conversely, the US has been trying to manipulate public opinion and political systems abroad for a long time. Voice of America is one of the more benign examples; the US government has brought down entire governments through media manipulation.
The US clearly in the past has stood by the principle that broadcasting and distributing political propaganda internationally is legitimate and protected. Censorship of foreign broadcasts is wrong and harmful for the same reason that censorship of domestic broadcasts is wrong and harmful. And that's a principle we should continue to stand by.
What we do know is that the total buy was $46K for the Russians vs. $81M for Clinton and Trump -- 1,760 times larger.
Yeah, we need to rally the country around the threat of Russian ad buyers, to be sure.
"We receive as friendly that which agrees with, we resist with dislike that which opposes us" - Faraday
"The only way we can begin to inoculate ourselves against a future attack is to see first-hand the types of messages, themes and imagery the Russians used to divide us...."
I'm bored of saying it but... Yes, it's all Russia's fault.
Reason Trump got elected - Russia.
Reason BREXIT happpened - Russia.
When somebody gets poisoned... you know who did it ? - Russia
Doping scandals - Russia
/sarcasm
Sorry, but... why is that sarcasm? Those things all happened.
It's becoming more clear all the time that Russia probably did get Trump elected. They put a lot of effort into trying to help him win, and he won by a slim margin. Russia seems to have at least been part of the Brexit vote. Russia has been caught poisoning people. Russian athletes were caught doping.
It's kinda like going, "Oh, I see, let's all blame Hitler. Poland gets invaded? - Hitler. Six million Jews murdered? - Hitler. /sarcasm"
If ads as incredibly stupid as the few that anybody has actually shown were so amazingly effective as to decide the election, then Russian/Schmussian; every US entity will be running ads just like them next time.
They'd be idiots not to.
In reality of course, the Dems just plain lost (albeit by a small margin, as is normal lately), something they just can't seem to come to grips with.
If this Russian narrative were true, I'd be hiring every single Russian involved. To advertise chewing gum, if nothing else. They are apparently the most awesome and most cost effective advertisers, ever.
Its like the Monty Python "The Funniest Joke in the World" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
A US citizen who encounters too much work by Russian anthropologists has their political views altered.
So the visual "evidence" is kept from the public as its mind altering.
The quality and production standards are just too good to prevent political changes in anyone who looks at the ads.
Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
Let me ask you this? If Hillary won and Russia was behind it would you feel the same?
I think it would be hypocritical either way if you care about your country if you're an American. I am a democrat so of course I am beyond furious but would be too if Hillary won and the reverse was true.
http://saveie6.com/
Political parties in America are a cancer. This is not football and blindly following someone and not caring what they support just to win and smirk and winning and blocking the other guy creates dysfunction and in actuality bet against the country just to see your guy win.
Is there anyone American left who cares about principles like no interference regardless of party? The hoopla about how wrong the electoral college is by Trump before he won vs after he won with a 180 turnaround in his views highlight the narrow and dangerous thinking.
http://saveie6.com/
> Even assuming all that were true, isn't it pretty fucking humiliating to admit that a dozen russians with broken english and a 5 figure budget were SO much more effective than the $Billions worth of marketing people on Hillary's side doing the exact same shit (including plenty of foreigners)?
That argument also doesn't make sense because the Russian ads were trolling both ways, trying to stir up discord, pitting Americans against each other.
They ran Black Lives Matter ads, ads on both sides of the gun control debate, etc. Nearly half their ads were the same type of things the Hillary campaign was saying. Rather than compete with the United States, Russia would rather compete with the Divided States.
The Russians were trying to make black people mad with #BLM stuff, Hillary was trying to make black mad with #BLM stuff. Russia wanted a bunch of ultra-feminist women angry at men, Hillary wanted a bunch of ultra-feminist women angry at men. There's no "Russians beat Hillary", the Russians were running slightly more extreme versions of the same type of ads Hillary was running half the time.
The Russians know we're stronger when we're united. They don't have to fight against us if they can get us to fight against ourselves.
They want Mexicans coming in waving the Mexican flag chanting "Viva Mexico" while working-class Americans get angry and scared. What the Russians don't want is the United States to be United, proud new Americans working alongside those who have been here longer. They want to divide us - chop us up into black America, women vs men, rich vs poor, etc. None of that involves beating Hillary. A lot of it involves taking a lesson from Hillary.