Interesting article. Foreign operatives attempting to sway OUR elections by pitting us against each other on social media. What a concept! Totally foreign to say our own CIA or myriad of other alphabet agencies I'll bet, eh? I can't think of a more typical example of common, albeit more modern, "statecraft" that has been practiced for hundreds of years. How does this come as a surprise to anyone? This is simply a modern delivery method for "propaganda", like the ICBM was to the nuclear bomb.
Let's face it, social media is the best method of incubating anti-social behavior ever devised by man. Is anyone truly surprised that it might be used to sow hatred and division or create political discord? Foreign operatives, as well as anyone else with their eyes open, can certainly see how our democratic constitutional republic can be compromised by identity politics and strict ideologues so they fan those flames and social media provides the oxygen to the explosive effect.
Facebook didn’t provide detailed descriptions of those pages. But their names parallel those of 2016 groups established by Russian agents to manipulate Americans with particular ethnic, cultural or political identities. That effort targeted people with both liberal and conservative leanings.
This time, though, the pages Facebook found focused “exclusively at engaging and influencing the left end of the American political spectrum,” according to the Atlantic Council researchers.
It will be interesting to see if the media covers this to the extent they did when it was Trump they thought the "Russian operatives" were "supporting". If not, then it will be clear that the media is part of the problem.
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What are your thoughts on this? Seems rather like the world's second oldest profession to me.
Facebook is getting more careful and as a result a bit more truthful. I believe that there are major elements in Russia that are attempting vigorously to undermine our elections. That does not mean that Putin is playing a direct role in such actions.
Putin a high level member of the Communist Party in Russia, powerful head of the KGB etc. For decades Russia and Communism was synonymous. According to the media, they still are.
Putin is the leader of a call it totalitarian authoritative government. One that hasn't been Communist for decades. Capitalism is now the basis of the Russian economy. Russia is the biggest example of Communist failure in the world.
Does this make Putin our friend? Not by the hair on my chinny chin chin. Bullheaded, gregarious, pompous, the list goes on. He is also intelligent and hellbent on making Russia the most influential economic country in the world.
The Communist Party in Russia is still the most powerful and influential in Russia. Russia's "Deep State".
Something to think about.
Coordinated, most definitely. Inauthentic? No, it is as real as real can be. Should we be looking at the government of any one country in particular? China comes to mind and I certainly doubt that they are just sitting quietly on the sidelines. Though slowly and reluctantly China also is drifting more towards Capitalism.
Communism is not a country. It is an economic platform based on the equality of the masses answerable to the chosen few. The goal of the Communist movement is to be the chosen few of a one world government.
Communism has infiltrated governments all across the globe including our own. Pitting one country against another is no different than pitting one political party against another. It is just a tactic described in the "Communist Manifesto" on the world stage.
The most ardent supporters of this tactic is our major media, which when you look closely is actually the world's major media.
I think this is certainly an accurate statement. But in order for that to have worked as well as it did, we had to have some built in division that was exploited. That we have so many different types of identity politics is very much part of that problem.
The idea is that we are all equal and have equal rights. The fact that it is demonstrably not true for swaths of people and that reality is denied certainly doesn't help. Interesting article. Good to see you Freewill!
Great to see you as well Fireryone! How have you been my friend?
I agree that the idea is that we are all to enjoy equal rights, and to the extent that this is compromised in certain circumstances, sure that very much needs to be addressed. Certainly the definition of the word "rights" and what is or is not a "right" also comes into play. Sometimes our biggest sources of division come down to simply an agreed upon definition of terms.
But we are not all "equal" in all respects, in what we want/desire, in the efforts we make, and in the results of our endeavors, and we never will be. Trying to force that in the name of "equality" is a fools errand, IMHO.
“Facebook said the perpetrators it found this year set up Facebook pages as early as March 2017, and the most followed pages had names such as "Aztlan Warriors," ''Black Elevation," ''Mindful Being," and "Resisters."
The Atlantic Council said the Resisters page, which advocated left-wing feminist causes, raised alarms because it was pushing for confrontation at multiple protests, including against supporters of the right-wing "Unite the Right 2" group, raising the potential for violence.”
interesting to see who the Russians are promoting...
Indeed. But I think the takeaway isn't so much WHO they are promoting but rather WHAT. And the what quite simply is discord, division, civil unrest and perhaps even societal collapse/civil war. They don't give a hoot about Democrat or Republican, that to them is just another division to exploit, another split into which a wedge can be driven. What better way to hobble ones rival than to assist that rival in hobbling itself? There are likely many in Russia who would like to see the USA go the way of the USSR. Hell there may even be some right here in America that would like to see that.
I agree, the overwhelming goal of Russian influence is to sow division, undermine confidence in our system and create as much chaos as possible. There program has succeeded beyond their wildest expectations.
Indeed. The seed has been planted and the weeds will keep popping up as long as we continue to provide the water.
Exactly, and they will do it to Republicans too once they stop playing into Putins hands so thoroughly. It's stunning to see how McConnell and Ryan have relinquished their duty.
I'm sorry that you have confused me with someone who cares about your opinion.
It is a fact that Ryan and McConnell are doing little to nothing to check Trump. You see hypocrisy in my comment..take a look at your own hypocrisy. Back to you Kettle.
Hi Fireryone. I'm sorry but I don't quite follow. They will do what to Republicans exactly? And can you elaborate on how you feel Republicans are playing into Putin's hands? Talking with foreign leaders does not necessarily equate to "playing into their hands" in my estimation.
My point was that those who are creating these Facebook accounts and trying to stir up the most partisan among us do not care about Democrats or Republicans and are not "supporting" either. They are simply trying to stir both sides up and create deeper division, and it looks like it is working apparently. If there are any hypocrites here, they are neither you nor XDm9mm, They are the media who plays up one side of the Facebook manipulation story, but not the other.
Interfere in an election to harm republicans. Right now it appears Russia is doing all it can to aid republicans. I think McConnell knew what was going on and that is why he wouldn't have hearings to confirm Garland.
We know that Obama told him that the Russians were interfering.
That is not what the seeded article suggests:
Also, in a supporting article HERE , the author points out that the investigation of the Facebook false accounts uncovered that: