Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by chromas on Friday August 24 2018, @09:59PM   Printer-friendly
from the antipro dept.

Russian trolls 'spreading discord' over vaccine safety online

Bots and Russian trolls spread misinformation about vaccines on Twitter to sow division and distribute malicious content before and during the American presidential election, according to a new study.

Scientists at George Washington University, in Washington DC, made the discovery while trying to improve social media communications for public health workers, researchers said. Instead, they found trolls and bots skewing online debate and upending consensus about vaccine safety.

The study discovered several accounts, now known to belong to the same Russian trolls who interfered in the US election, as well as marketing and malware bots, tweeting about vaccines.

Russian trolls played both sides, the researchers said, tweeting pro- and anti-vaccine content in a politically charged context. "These trolls seem to be using vaccination as a wedge issue, promoting discord in American society," Mark Dredze, a team member and professor of computer science at Johns Hopkins, which was also involved in the study, said. "By playing both sides, they erode public trust in vaccination, exposing us all to the risk of infectious diseases. Viruses don't respect national boundaries."

Also at NYT.

Weaponized Health Communication: Twitter Bots and Russian Trolls Amplify the Vaccine Debate (DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2018.304567) (DX)


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 4, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @10:24PM (18 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @10:24PM (#726044)

    So this is what soylent is now. Trolling for comments.

    I have a idea everyone here will like. Do not watch the news. Now before you roll your eyes and get pissed off or start snarking. Hear me out on my hypothesis. The news is designed to piss you off. These guys have perfected a skinner box. News is designed to piss you off. Most of the news wants you to be pissed off at 'the russians', hell it may even be justified. Well congratulations you are now angry. Now what? Some of the news is 'fake'. Some of it is 'real'. But it is 100% designed so you come back and get more. Is this how you want to live? Do you want to live by what someone you have never met tells you to think?

    Starting Score:    0  points
    Moderation   +4  
       Redundant=1, Insightful=2, Interesting=1, Informative=3, Overrated=1, Total=8
    Extra 'Informative' Modifier   0  

    Total Score:   4  
  • (Score: 0, Troll) by Ethanol-fueled on Friday August 24 2018, @10:30PM (11 children)

    by Ethanol-fueled (2792) on Friday August 24 2018, @10:30PM (#726051) Homepage

    I'm more pissed at Leftist scumbags who point at the Russians, and yet they openly sow discord with a weapon way worse than vaccine discussion -- identity politics.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @10:40PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @10:40PM (#726057)

      Over 40,000 cases of Rubella in Europe so far this year. Wonder why? [telegraph.co.uk]

    • (Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @10:44PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @10:44PM (#726059)

      not only leftists [soylentnews.org]

    • (Score: 3, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @10:51PM (7 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @10:51PM (#726061)

      You realize that your racist garbage is the peak of identity politics right? Maybe that is why you sad little trolls are so upset by anyone else using similar tactics to exclude you. We humans tend to be irritated the most by flaws in others which mirror our own.

      • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @11:30PM (6 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @11:30PM (#726074)

        Why did identity politics become a big thing after about 2000?

        For older generations it was drilled into our heads that people were all the same and labeling was evil. Now it seems to be a virtue. Was everyone just wrong about being equal and we should have spent efforts on establishing hierarchies such that we develop appropriate punishments and remediations (my fathers oppression is equivalent to 4 of your grandfathers and your oppressions)?

        I am not a label was a Saturday morning cartoon PSA.

        • (Score: 5, Insightful) by Ethanol-fueled on Friday August 24 2018, @11:41PM (4 children)

          by Ethanol-fueled (2792) on Friday August 24 2018, @11:41PM (#726078) Homepage

          Why, you ask?

          Because the FBI and others discovered that it could fracture troublesome populist movements, and Occupy Wall Street was a great example of that. Turn the people against each other and soon they will forget how much they're all being fucked by the government and the wealthy.

          • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Saturday August 25 2018, @01:20AM (3 children)

            by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Saturday August 25 2018, @01:20AM (#726100) Journal

            Because the FBI and others discovered that it could fracture troublesome populist movements, and Occupy Wall Street was a great example of that.

            And in reality we all have the same social/group identity, right?
            There's no difference between the identity of Ethanol-fueled and one of a Jew or a Mexican.

            (large grin)

            Turn the people against each other and soon they will forget how much they're all being fucked by the government and the wealthy.

            Not that I don't agree, but there is this one little curiosity that I have: do the government and the wealthy pay you well for your usual trolls?

            --
            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
            • (Score: 3, Informative) by sjames on Saturday August 25 2018, @01:28AM (2 children)

              by sjames (2882) on Saturday August 25 2018, @01:28AM (#726103) Journal

              Now there's a theory, EF is a gay Jewish black Mexican with a severe self-loathing problem.

              • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Saturday August 25 2018, @01:36AM

                by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Saturday August 25 2018, @01:36AM (#726107) Journal

                And his fuelling is just escapism. And he needs those money for his fuelling.

                The theory sorta makes sense

                --
                https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
              • (Score: 2) by captain normal on Saturday August 25 2018, @02:04AM

                by captain normal (2205) on Saturday August 25 2018, @02:04AM (#726114)

                Naw..he just does it for the free Vodka.

                --
                When life isn't going right, go left.
        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 25 2018, @09:07PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 25 2018, @09:07PM (#726353)

          After 2000? I think the idiocy kicked up in earnest during Obama's second term. During Baby Bush' years, any pinko socialist theme and their pushers were ground into dust by the mainstream media. United we stand.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 25 2018, @05:47PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 25 2018, @05:47PM (#726272)

      To stupidity and beyond. You're definitely well beyond stupid.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @10:38PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @10:38PM (#726054)

    Do you want to live by what someone you have never met tells you to think?

    My parents do

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @10:44PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @10:44PM (#726060)

    Ignore reality at your own peril.

  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by jelizondo on Saturday August 25 2018, @01:49AM

    by jelizondo (653) Subscriber Badge on Saturday August 25 2018, @01:49AM (#726111) Journal

    Watch "Yuval Noah Harari: Technology is humanity's biggest challenge" at Al Jazeera [aljazeera.com]

    Among the things he talks about is algorithms (AI) being given the task of increasing web traffic, and finding that "fake news" make people angry or fearful and that drives more visits.

    Very interesting interview.

  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by captain normal on Saturday August 25 2018, @01:57AM

    by captain normal (2205) on Saturday August 25 2018, @01:57AM (#726113)

    Humm...looks like we've found one of them Russian bots right here, folks.

    --
    When life isn't going right, go left.
  • (Score: 2) by Bot on Saturday August 25 2018, @06:49PM

    by Bot (3902) on Saturday August 25 2018, @06:49PM (#726299) Journal

    > Is this how you want to live? Do you want to live by what someone you have never met tells you to think?
    If I said no I would be living by what you, whom I never met, tells me to think.

    --
    Account abandoned.
  • (Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Saturday August 25 2018, @11:28PM

    by DeathMonkey (1380) on Saturday August 25 2018, @11:28PM (#726393) Journal

    Now what?

    Implement the bi-partisan sanctions that were passed in a good faith manner.