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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)
(Score: 3, Funny) by Gaaark on Friday August 24 2018, @10:19PM (2 children)
What WON'T they do?
Fuck with elections, fuck with minds...fuck after getting peed on...
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. I have always been here. ---Gaaark 2.0 --
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 25 2018, @10:45AM (1 child)
Make war as love, or something.
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Saturday August 25 2018, @05:36PM
War is peace
freedom is slavery
ignorance is strength
pain is love (hurt me, hurt me!)
--The Knack
---Muh muh muh my Sharona
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. I have always been here. ---Gaaark 2.0 --
(Score: 4, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @10:24PM (18 children)
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?
(Score: 0, Troll) by Ethanol-fueled on Friday August 24 2018, @10:30PM (11 children)
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
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
not only leftists [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @10:51PM (7 children)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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/@ProfSteveKeen https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 3, Informative) by sjames on Saturday August 25 2018, @01:28AM (2 children)
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
And his fuelling is just escapism. And he needs those money for his fuelling.
The theory sorta makes sense
https://www.youtube.com/@ProfSteveKeen https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by captain normal on Saturday August 25 2018, @02:04AM
Naw..he just does it for the free Vodka.
The Musk/Trump interview appears to have been hacked, but not a DDOS hack...more like A Distributed Denial of Reality.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 25 2018, @09:07PM
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
To stupidity and beyond. You're definitely well beyond stupid.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @10:38PM
My parents do
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @10:44PM
Ignore reality at your own peril.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by jelizondo on Saturday August 25 2018, @01:49AM
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
Humm...looks like we've found one of them Russian bots right here, folks.
The Musk/Trump interview appears to have been hacked, but not a DDOS hack...more like A Distributed Denial of Reality.
(Score: 2) by Bot on Saturday August 25 2018, @06:49PM
> 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
Now what?
Implement the bi-partisan sanctions that were passed in a good faith manner.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @10:32PM (5 children)
Both the RNC and DNC have been known to support kookery on the opposite side to debase their apponents. And frankly if this was done as a PAC, I've not seen any law that actually makes it a crime. It can't reasonably be a conflict with the emoluments clause, because if it were so, then any political advertisement on behalf of a multinational fiduciary interest would be a crime. And that would include all of the fortune 500.
Either all foreign sourced capital in U.S. politics is a crime, or all aren't. IMHO, all are. But if that is so, you'd have to arrest all of congress, and all of the respective CEO's of multinational conglomerates.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @11:08PM
I'm ok with this
(Score: 2) by captain normal on Saturday August 25 2018, @02:08AM (3 children)
"But if that is so, you'd have to arrest all of congress, and all of the respective CEO's of multinational conglomerates."
Sounds like a damn good idea to me.
The Musk/Trump interview appears to have been hacked, but not a DDOS hack...more like A Distributed Denial of Reality.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 25 2018, @03:57AM (2 children)
Where's the gofundme?
(Score: 2) by janrinok on Saturday August 25 2018, @05:34AM (1 child)
[nostyle RIP 06 May 2025]
(Score: 2) by captain normal on Saturday August 25 2018, @06:03AM
Actually, I have need for any funds, thank you!
The Musk/Trump interview appears to have been hacked, but not a DDOS hack...more like A Distributed Denial of Reality.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by RandomFactor on Friday August 24 2018, @10:51PM (16 children)
There is nothing new, or shocking, or even unknown here. It would have been almost inconceivable that the vaccine 'debate' would not be targeted by them.
The same analysis could be made for gun rights/control, abortion, religious persecution, religious tyranny, immigration, reverse/discrimination, Republicans, Democrats, Hillary, Trump, GMOs, etc. with the same conclusions.
Russians are not, and never have been about promoting a particular point of view, they just want us to burn down our own house.
В «Правде» нет известий, в «Известиях» нет правды
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @10:57PM (7 children)
This is only known by old people who lived through the cold war.
(Score: 2) by RandomFactor on Friday August 24 2018, @10:58PM
That obvious?
В «Правде» нет известий, в «Известиях» нет правды
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @11:18PM (5 children)
And yet, it's the old people that have a low inflammation threshold and thus mostly react to trolls.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by janrinok on Saturday August 25 2018, @05:38AM (4 children)
[nostyle RIP 06 May 2025]
(Score: 3, Insightful) by aristarchus on Saturday August 25 2018, @12:15PM (2 children)
This explains so much. As according to Santayana,those who don't know history [me.me] are condemned to repeat it, but those who only remember Cold War history are doomed to attempting to supress aristarchus submissions.
(Score: 2) by janrinok on Saturday August 25 2018, @01:16PM (1 child)
[nostyle RIP 06 May 2025]
(Score: 3, Funny) by aristarchus on Saturday August 25 2018, @10:15PM
You are scaring me, JR.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by RandomFactor on Saturday August 25 2018, @05:58PM
Hell yes. We had regular drills in elementary school. All lined up against the walls in an inner hallway and ducked down in a ball with our hands over our heads.
I guess it might have kept us from getting shredded by flying glass at least...
В «Правде» нет известий, в «Известиях» нет правды
(Score: 3, Insightful) by takyon on Friday August 24 2018, @11:07PM (2 children)
Try telling that to some our users and anons. We could be living the events of Red Dawn (1984) and they would still be skeptical.
At least #726052 [soylentnews.org] has a more creative response. Acknowledge it, but downplay it. And if you look at the Russian Facebook ad buys and various trolling groups and events, they don't seem to have had much of an effect. They were just spending chump change and throwing shit to the wall to see if it stuck. Like an experiment. The Mueller investigation has had far more of a bang for the buck, and President Trump is comically sensitive to claims that his Presidency is illegitimate.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @11:28PM (1 child)
15 months and he's got a run on false statements and tax / identity fraud... also the destruction of the Podesta Group. [go.com]
(Score: 0, Redundant) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 25 2018, @12:45AM
And bank fraud. Anyone who has put their house on airbnb is probably also guilty of that. I remember my mortgage papers stated that I would use the property as my primary personal residence.
(Score: 2) by suburbanitemediocrity on Friday August 24 2018, @11:18PM (3 children)
Well, we trolled them with blue jeans, cars, houses, rock and roll, and grocery stores full of food. http://englishrussia.com/2015/01/20/borist-yeltsin-in-american-supermarket/ [englishrussia.com]
(Score: 2) by captain normal on Saturday August 25 2018, @02:19AM (2 children)
You left out Sex, Drugs and Rock and roll. And the most dangerous off all...American Jazz.
The Musk/Trump interview appears to have been hacked, but not a DDOS hack...more like A Distributed Denial of Reality.
(Score: 2) by suburbanitemediocrity on Saturday August 25 2018, @06:40AM
When I was in Russia, they only played classical music on all radio stations. And yes, r&r and jazz were seen as highly degenerate.
After the fall of communism, all the people I knew bemoaned the loss of morality in society. Clothes, hairstyles, music, art, leisure activities like going out to clubs...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 25 2018, @02:05PM
And now the Western world is in peril because of American Jizz...
But of course there is no blackmail whatsoever and no tapes waiting to be published and nobody will get impeached.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 25 2018, @10:48AM
Russian government maybe. I, personally, couldn't care less what you do. If only US copyright mafia, which affect the whole world, could die in a fire.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @11:23PM (3 children)
Could this strategy be based in game theory and the best results are obtained playing both sides at some given proportion, rather than just playing the side one wants to win. Or they objective just were creating chaos?.
(Score: 2) by captain normal on Saturday August 25 2018, @02:22AM
Only TRDT is obsessive about "winning".
The Musk/Trump interview appears to have been hacked, but not a DDOS hack...more like A Distributed Denial of Reality.
(Score: 2) by suburbanitemediocrity on Saturday August 25 2018, @06:47AM
Creating chaos is winning.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_we_stand%2C_divided_we_fall [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 2) by Bot on Saturday August 25 2018, @07:04PM
It is also trolling theory.
Let's say I want to boost the image of guy.
Troll A will monopolize the criticism of guy with a factually or logically incorrect post.
Troll B will counter A destroying him dialectically. Mob rule will take care of anybody coming to the help of A, accusing him of shifting the goalposts.
Guy is saved, and all the activity attracts further views.
"we will lead all revolutions against us" (which BTW is a way to give more power to defeatists should a true opposition appear)
Account abandoned.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 24 2018, @11:24PM (1 child)
This is the exact same thing as the news. Just turn on your local "democrat" station, then turn on your local "republican" station. Its the exact same shit of trying to get people hyped up for a cause so their brains turn off and you can take advantage of them somehow.
(Score: 2) by captain normal on Saturday August 25 2018, @02:29AM
Or just like right here in good 'ol SN, Trolls blaming all problems on the D's or sometimes the R's.
The Musk/Trump interview appears to have been hacked, but not a DDOS hack...more like A Distributed Denial of Reality.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 25 2018, @10:37AM
So, now we're trained against Russians. We have filled all arsenals again and it's needed to squish some bullets :). How bad...
I really wanted to speak about these vaccine-related problems. But every time I asked about exact details of manufacturing, which would entitle me to take opinion, I was literally barked with lawyer's mumbling about "intellectual property". If I see such thing in software, it's a 100% excuse for a backdoor. Probably this is why there are so many people who oppose vaccines, but this time American trolls vote for the most extreme and irrational arguments.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 25 2018, @06:44PM
"Instead, they found trolls and bots skewing online debate and upending consensus about vaccine safety."
stfu, you stupid goddamn drug dealing/bioweapon administering whores. you're lucky people don't exterminate all of you motherfuckers.