Russian Trolls Shift Strategy to Disrupt U.S. Election in 2020

[DonViejo]

By Alyza Sebenius

March 9, 2019, 4:00 AM EST

Hackers infiltrate computers to create fake social media users

Fake accounts are used to amplify divisive messages by others

Russian internet trolls appear to be shifting strategy in their efforts to disrupt the 2020 U.S. elections, promoting politically divisive messages through phony social media accounts instead of creating propaganda themselves, cybersecurity experts say.

The Kremlin-linked Internet Research Agency may be among those trying to circumvent protections put in place by companies including Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc. to find and remove fake content that hackers created to sow division among the American electorate in the 2016 presidential campaign.

“Instead of creating content themselves, we see them amplifying content,” said John Hultquist, the director of intelligence analysis at FireEye Inc. “Then it’s not necessarily inauthentic, and that creates an opportunity for them to hide behind somebody else.”

Other hackers are breaking into computing devices and using them to open large numbers of social media accounts, according to Candid Wueest, a senior threat researcher at Symantec Corp. The hacked devices are used to create many legitimate-looking users as well as believable followers and likes for those fake users.

While covert efforts to amplify divisive content originated by others isn’t a new technique, hackers and trolls seem to be embracing it heavily in advance of the next U.S. presidential election.

more
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-09/russian-trolls-shift-strategy-to-disrupt-u-s-election-in-2020

[Squinch]

1. They're here, kids.

I'm seeing lots of "I'm horrified that the right is saying (insert right wing nut ridiculous statement, recounted in full detail with strangely divisive language) about (insert name of respected Democrat.)

Or they'll say something ridiculous the right is trying to push, like, "Who says Trump has 50% approval among Latinos and Latinas? That's ridiculous!"

It's generally something they want to get clicks, so you'll go looking on the internet for the story and make it trend.

The other less obvious tactic is to state that "If Democrats can't counteract (insert right wing action) it is all over for the party!" Essentially, the message here is "There is no hope! Abandon ship!"

For legitimacy they will pepper their journals with short OPs stating obviously popular Democratic sentiments.

Be very careful of posters who make these types of posts.

[watoos]

2. Well said, I agree.

One that makes me cringe is the purity test for our candidates. Here's a news flash, none of our candidates are perfect. Give me the name of your favorite candidate and I can trash him/her. The point should be that every one of our candidates is way better than Trump. The primaries will bring the cream to the top.
I wish that people would think about what I am about to post, and think about it hard.

The only way we lose in 2020 is if we fight among ourselves.

[Squinch]

3. Yes. And the fact is that we have a fabulous bench. I would be ecstatic to vote

for any of the Democratic candidates who have declared so far.

[watoos]

9. It makes me cringe when a lot of people say,

well, I can't vote for him/her in the primary because of x,y, and z, but I will vote for him/her in the general.

That's an attack on one of our candidates, just what Republicans want us to do.

[PatSeg]

5. Yes, we need to remind ourselves everyday

that Trump and republicans are the opponents and quit taking the right-wing bait. We also need to focus on keeping the House and taking back the senate.

[watoos]

10. Yes, and also an important fact,

2020 is a census year, a redistricting year, we need to take back our state Houses.

[PatSeg]

18. And governorships

The one edge that republicans have over Dems, is they don't put all their energy on presidential races. They are very active on a state and local level, giving them far more power than most people realize. If we want to see real progressive change, we have to go Democratic across the board.

[paleotn]

19. Bingo. Exactly.

[Blue_true]

26. There are some good people here that use the purity test.

They have been here since I joined on 2010 after the democratic House debacle in the 2010 election.

There were trolls like MannyGoldstein and others, they literally led some of the decent people that just had deeply felt beliefs around by the nose, it was sad to see. There were people like Sid that fought them tooth and nails, but Manny et al were prolific posters that always started their posts with arguments that no sane democrat could argue against before moving on to attack noted democratic leaders, sadly some good people approved of and amplified their posts.

The Russian trolls are going to come after us by using things that we simply can't fight against to disarm us, like our closely held core values. Then they will seed doubt about democrats that they are targeting. Sadly some good people will believe in the candidate that they are backing that those decent people will fall into that trap and become divisive themselves leading to the fall election.

ALL OF US MUST REALIZE THAT WE SHARE A HUGE AMOUNT OF POLICY WISHES AND THAT THE DIFFERENCES CAN BE WORKED OUT IF WE ALL MAKE AND EFFORT TO. Ignore the voices that seek to divide us, that is the only way that we are going to get sustained progressive policy.

[PatSeg]

4. Excellent observation

Sadly, I've seen the MSM do the same thing, amplify doubt or hysteria to create a more exciting horse race. "If Democrats can't............blah, blah", giving a sense that Trump has a very real chance of winning a second term when all odds are against him.

[watoos]

12. That's my feeling too.

I'm not even into policies. My only criteria is that our candidate needs to be as tough as nails. If we don't win, our policies, our agenda is a moot point.

I would run on transparency, on ending corruption, on being a voice for working Americans, on Making America America Again.

The far right wants to make the narrative about name calling, whoever our nominee will be will be called a Socialist, wants to make the narrative that focuses negatively on our nominee.

We need to push back and make the narrative about the criminality and corruption and lack of ethics and morality of the Trump crime family. Republicans want to put the microscope on the splinter in our nominee's eye instead of focusing on the log in Donald Trump's eye.

[PatSeg]

20. Oh, nice analogy!

Spot on!

[PTWB]

6. The best way for them to interfere would be to split our vote

Develop kompromat on a billionaire class individual with left-leaning political views. Convince said billionaire to run as an independent in a self financed campaign.

Siphoning a few percentage points in a few key states is literally all it would take to guarantee no Democrat could ever win the presidency.

[spanone]

7. Here we go.

I'd like to thank the republicans who have done absolutely nothing whatsoever to stop this from happening.

[SammyWinstonJack]

11. Why would when it favors them?

[spanone]

13. maybe because they are 'patriots'? no, that's not it...

republicans are party over country and trump over party.

[FakeNoose]

8. Fact is, there are lot of dim bulbs on FaceBook and Instagram

The dim ones read these stupid, trollish postings and forward them to all their clueless friends. Always be suspicious of any questionable opinion or meme until you dig a little deeper and you know where it came from. If you have any doubts at all, don't repeat it and don't forward it. Unfortunately the people who keep these lies going are naive super-conservative seniors who are too trusting for their own good.

[watoos]

14. Yes, and one cure for not being conned,

is to always be positive about all of our candidates, about all of our Democratic Congressional members.

I was proud how we rallied behind Nancy Pelosi to make her Speaker Pelosi. The far right has spent a lot of money demonizing just the mere mention of her name. We overcame that, we Democrats stuck together and won a huge battle in overcoming the negativity that was unjustly ascribed to Speaker Pelosi. The fact is that she has always been one of the best Speakers ever.

Democrats will never march in lock step like Republicans do, but that's ok. It's ok to have respectful, vigorous debates on the issues, as long as we come together at the end of the debates and get behind the majority decisions.

[FakeNoose]

16. Yes we always need to look out for our candidates

They deserve the benefit of the doubt - always. Even somebody I might not be voting for, still gets my support when being attacked by the right wingers & trolls. Many great women are in the hunt right now and if we don't support them this year, they'll never want to try their chances ever again.

[watoos]

22. OMG what a cool video.

[not fooled]

23. Yes

those who think they are too smart to trust news organizations and reporters but then buy into what someone forwards them on farcebook.

[MBS]

15. And the Trump so-called "administration"

refuses to fund, or to USE funds already allotted, to beef up cybersecurity and improve the integrity of the election process. (Not to mention the fact that Trump is already trying to warp the minds of his "base" to suggest that the Democratic candidate could win in 2020 only if the election were "rigged."

Pretty clear where their priorities are: "democracy" is not one of them.

[Beartracks]

17. Russia continues its attack on America. Or what the MSM calls "meddling."

And what the Republicans call "assistance."

==========

[EndGOPPropaganda]

21. This is exactly what the GOP does

The rightwing press does the same thing.
Amplifies divisions over AOC
Amplifies divisions over Omar
Amplifies divisions over “socialism”
Amplifies divisions over immigration
Amplifies divisions over bathrooms


It’s time to recognize we were open to Russian attack because of the rightwing propaganda media, which the Russians merely piggy backed on top of.

[dalton99a]

24. Kick

[CrossingTheRubicon]

25. We all know what tactics the Russian specialist are going to use against Democrats.

Same as last time. Read the Mueller indictments.

[EndGOPPropaganda]

27. We also know because rightwing media uses the same methods.

Just listen to fox or Limbaugh or read the WSJ Ed page or Bret Stephens to figure out the methods the Russians will use. They’re the same methods the GOP uses.