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US Treasury Sanctions 16 Russians For Hacking, Election Meddling (engadget.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Engadget: The Treasury Department has leveled sanctions against 16 current and former GRU intelligence officers (some of whom were targeted in earlier indictments) for their involvement in multiple campaigns against the U.S., including the Democratic National Committee hacks, World Anti-Doping Agency hacks and election meddling efforts. The targets include Elena Khusyaynova, the primary accountant for the Project Lakhta influence campaign that included the Internet Research Agency. The sanctions also target associated entities like the Federal News Agency.
As with the indictments, the sanctions will only have a limited effect. The measure blocks all property and interests from these people that might be in U.S. jurisdictions, and Americans are "generally prohibited" from conducting transactions with them. The targets live in Russia, though, and it's doubtful that they'll travel to countries where the sanctions will hit them. This is more a symbolic gesture than one intended to curb Russian hacks and manipulation attempts.
As with the indictments, the sanctions will only have a limited effect. The measure blocks all property and interests from these people that might be in U.S. jurisdictions, and Americans are "generally prohibited" from conducting transactions with them. The targets live in Russia, though, and it's doubtful that they'll travel to countries where the sanctions will hit them. This is more a symbolic gesture than one intended to curb Russian hacks and manipulation attempts.
Actually, deliberately spreading false statements in an effort to sway voters one way or another sounds like election meddling to me -- trying to add votes is called fraud, not meddling.
US, UK, Italy, Brazil,... People are falling for it everywhere.
Flynn: no lawyers in his multiple FBI interviews
Hillary!: nine lawyers in her one FBI interview, no notes by FBI allowed
Flynn: failed to register as a foreign agent while he was a private citizen
Hillary!: made millions via Clinton Foundation from Russia while she was Secretary of State approving Uranium One deal.
Flynn: going to jail
Hillary!: Free despite setting up a private email server, almost certainly hacked by multiple foreign intelligence services, and putting classified data on it. Free despite having her uncleared maid handle top secret information. Free despite directing subordinate to remove classification markings and send classified data via her insecure email.
deliberately spreading false statements in an effort to sway voters one way or another sounds like election meddling to me
So CNN, NYT, WaPo, HuffPo, etc should be locked up for election meddling?
Actually, deliberately spreading false statements in an effort to sway voters one way or another sounds like election meddling to me -- trying to add votes is called fraud, not meddling.
And who is the anointed judge of which statements are true, and which are false?
You, presumably.
Truth exists. You can ignore it or call it lies, but you can't ignore the consequences of ignoring it. Many things were said by Trump and the Russian aids that were trivially proven untrue, usually with a 30 second Google search.
The fact that Trump defends this behaviour after the fact by minimizing it and ignoring it, or flat out lying, is extremely shameful and a complete and total violation of his oath of office. He swore to protect the country against ALL enemies foreign and domestic. Any entity that promotes propaganda and lies is an enemy, for a democratic society depends on truth for its proper functioning.
The average voting American citizen has the equivalent of the 8th grade education. (they may have a higher degree in actuality, but after 8th grade, most students start to diverge and focus on their specialties).
So think about your political knowledge back in 8th grade, you have a general idea on how the US government power is distributed, what the elected officials in general do. But most of your view on politics is based on your Family, friends, church and neighbors.
Myself I grew up near a blue state capital (most of my friends and neighbors where State Employees and very Democrat), but my family is very republican. So I grew up with conflicting messages, probably why I am a moderate today, because I can understand the points made and realize the other side isn't the evil monster as partisans tend to express.
So what did the Russians hackers do that meddled in the elections? Realizing the general naivete of the population, they were able to find what topic they feel strongly about (not overly political), find a group of people with an opposing idea. Befriend both sides and radicalize them, so topics like police shooting unarmed minorities, because they assume they are dangerous because of their looks, becomes political. And they are painted as only caring for the minority and not the general population. While the other side is painted as racist.
So now we have Hillary Clinton who was a public servant vs Donald Trump, who was a boastful personality. Your Russian Friends who are now influencing you and your feelings and pushing your view on topics to the extreme, have now either turned you in a loud mouth radical, or seeing the other side (mainly Clinton) as the enemy.
I heard a lot of Trump Voters who voted for him, not because they liked Trump, but because they were afraid of Clinton, because to them the Clinton Supporters seemed like crazed LiBeRaLs who wanted to bankrupt the country with all their welfare, and because of e-Mails which in the grand scheme of things was just stupid. While Trump with Russian Facebook influence was moderated down, and outraged was calmed, to well he will change after becoming president.
If the Russian Trolls were saying they were Russians pushing a political agenda in America it wouldn't be so bad, as people would take it as such. But they pretend to be peoples friends, and are US Citizens like them. Just to influence the elections and the government.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
Truth exists. You can ignore it or call it lies, but you can't ignore the consequences of ignoring it. Many things were said by Trump and the Russian aids that were trivially proven untrue, usually with a 30 second Google search.
Whether truth exists, as you say, or not is a question that philosophers have been arguing about for several thousand years - and they still haven't decided.
Imagine a world with no human beings, or reasoning animals of any kind. In that world, does truth "exist"? What is, certainly is. But where does "truth" come into it? Truth is a feature of statements: we say that some are true and others are false. No people, no statements, no truth or falsity.
It is a bit worrying that your concern for truth seems narrowly focused on Mr Trump and his supporters. Do you understand that other people tell lies, too? And people often say things that are untrue without realising it - which are not lies, just mistakes. (Just saying...)
Lastly, your innocent remark about relying on "a 30 second Google search" to establish the truth knocks the bottom out of any credibility you might have had. Google? Really?? I suppose the 30 seconds is how long it takes you to look down the list of Google hits and find one that suits your particular bias.
I am sure that there are many other solipsists out there.
Any non-American posting anything on social media visible in the U.S. for/against any candidate in the 2020 Presidential election can now be told, "please delete your post or you could be accused of election meddling, and face sanctions prohibiting Americans from conducting any transactions with you in the future."
I agree with the principle that people who can't vote in an election shouldn't be allowed to influence it. But I simply don't think that's a goal that's realistically achievable without completly breaking other freedoms of social interaction.
Barring foreigners from commenting on elections in a country is of course silly and pointless [1], but barring organized false-flag comment campaigns seems very reasonable to me. We call this shilling, and it is frowned upon in all social media.
[1] I must assume the same principles apply if the country is the USA or any other country.