Here's What Russia's Propaganda Network Wants You to Read

[L. Coyote]

Last edited Sun Aug 27, 2017, 08:52 PM - Edit history (1)

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/08/23/russia-propaganda-network-kremlin-bots-215520
How a new system for tracking Kremlin influence operations reveals what Moscow is thinking.
By J.M. BERGER -- August 23, 2017

Over the past year, Americans have been hearing a lot about Russian attempts to sway public opinion in the United States using manipulative tactics on social media. But in the abstract, it can be hard to understand exactly what that means.

To help illuminate the issue, the Alliance for Securing Democracy recently unveiled Hamilton 68, an interactive dashboard displaying the near-real-time output of Russian Influence Operations on Twitter—or RIOT, if you’re a fan of on-the-nose acronyms. The dashboard is the product of a research collaboration that includes me, Clint Watts, Aaron Weisburd, Jonathon Morgan and the German Marshall Fund.

The network promotes a selective worldview of Western societies in decline, suffused with crime, chaos and conspiracy, and a Russia (and a Russian president) filled with strength and integrity. It produces some original content and amplifies content produced by other people, scouring the internet for messages that tear down confidence in democracies, while absolving Russia and its allies from any hint of wrongdoing.

That said, RIOT is a complex affair. Influence operations are subtle by design, and those behind them don’t usually reveal themselves. The dashboard shows a mix of Twitter account types, including openly Russian-backed media such as Russia Today (RT) and Sputnik, as well as 600 Twitter accounts linked to a less obvious influence network, which exists to amplify opinions and information that favor the Kremlin’s preferred narratives.

The output of this network is not comprehensive by any means, but it is representative of the content shared by thousands more social media accounts .............

[Control-Z]

1. The dashboard they have created is oustanding.

The information appears to be something all of us could take a look at from time to time to get a better idea of what's really going on with the crazies.

The design and ease of use is phenomenal.

http://dashboard.securingdemocracy.org/

[L. Coyote]

3. Thanks for adding this useful link.

[Control-Z]

4. You are welcome!

I'm sorry this got a little lost yesterday. I hope you post it again perhaps after the flooding in Houston has eased up a bit. It looks like it could be a useful tool for, unfortunately, many months (years?) to come.

[yardwork]

2. "...a selective worldview of Western societies in decline, suffused with crime..."

That's the worldview that Trump and his supporters promote.