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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)


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  • (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.

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  • (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.