Kremlin bots spam internet with fake celebrity quotes against Ukraine ( kyivindependent.com )

Russian bots with a Kremlin disinformation network published 120,000 fake anti-Ukraine quotes falsely attributed to celebrities, including Jennifer Aniston and Scarlett Johansson, in one day, the independent Russian media outlet Agentsvo reported June 15.

Quotes appeared over celebrity photos, displaying messages calling to end aid to Ukraine and describing European collapse.

The images were published between June 14-15 by the Kremlin disinformation network Dvoynyk, a representative of the Bot Blocker project told Agentsvo. The fake quotes have since garnered over 500,000 views.

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cupcakezealot ,
@cupcakezealot@lemmy.blahaj.zone avatar

Any hope of civility and partisanship ended when social media received widespread appeal.

brucethemoose ,

No, it ended when attention optimization and monetization became the objective.

If social media was all "dumb" it would be totally different, though I suppose keeping third party monetization out is always difficult.

Socsa ,

Bro the fediverse is one of the worst platforms when it comes to information warfare. One of the major instances is pretty clearly a training ground for Russian propagandists before they get promoted to Facebook or reddit.

KevonLooney ,

But it doesn't work as well because you can block entire instances. These people self identify by choosing the instance so it's easy to just block all posts and comments, even those from people you've never seen before.

Socsa ,

Blocking an instance only removes your individual ability to interact with an instance. It doesn't have any impact on the information warfare value of the instance. If anything, it only amplifies it by self-sequestration of opposing voices.

Leate_Wonceslace ,
@Leate_Wonceslace@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

Lemmy.ml moment.

afraid_of_zombies ,

CIA: we have overthrown well over two dozen governments sometimes for reasons we aren't even clear about. A noticeable fraction of the human race lives under the regimes we have installed.

NSA: we proved your conspiracy theorist uncle right and can read the emails and text messages of over a billion people.

And neither one can stop a government agency of under 100 people, who live in a country that can't make a CPU over 8 bits, from shit posting on the internet? Not fucking possible.

Check this out: the guy who runs the largest pro-kremlin misinformation website in the world lives in NJ

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Ivandjiiski

And yet all these powerful three letter agencies can do nothing?

We know Russia has been funding the NRA and members of the GOP. We know they have blackmailed them. We know they ran stuff through Epstein and have videos of them rapping kids. And yet despite all this, despite the power of tens of billions of dollars a year, despite being only answerable to literal god not a single act can be done to stop trolling? They can overthrow Pakistan but not block an IP!?

disguy_ovahea ,

They haven’t committed a crime posting on privately owned social media sites. The celebrity first needs to file a complaint.

afraid_of_zombies ,

What does that have to do with what I said?

disguy_ovahea ,

And neither one can stop a government agency of under 100 people, who live in a country that can't make a CPU over 8 bits, from shit posting on the internet? Not fucking possible.

How do you expect the FBI stops people from creating fake accounts and sharing false information? Those are not crimes. Fraudulent misrepresentation is a crime, but the misrepresented person first needs to report it.

afraid_of_zombies ,

Knock on the door

Guy opens door

FBI agent: hey we know Putin is sending you money. Stop posting stuff on the internet supporting him or we will plant cocaine and child porn on you, then tell the local police. This is of course if we are in a good mood. If we aren't in a good mood you will be kidnapped and thrown out of a helicopter into the ocean at night.

Guy: shocked silence

FBI agent: almost forgot. Here is a folder containing pictures of all your family members, with their addresses on the back. Bet you didn't know that your favorite aunt was a tax cheat. Hope no one calls the IRS and let's them know. And your nephew Johnny, who just got an internship. How do you think his new employer would react to me calling them and telling them that we are opening an investigation into him?

These are shitty evil people. Who don't even come close to following basic rules of decency. The fact that they continue to take no action against what Russia is doing hints very strongly that they aren't opposed to it. You can't be powerful enough to wage a secret war in Cambodia that kills millions and so weak you can't intimidate a guy living openly in the US with a lifestyle of tens of millions a year.

Here is another fun fact for you: Monica Lewinsky only agreed to testify after a single member of the Justice department threatened to have her mother thrown in jail. We aren't talking the entire resources of the federal government here, we are talking about one lawyer.

Lost_My_Mind ,

How do you expect the FBI stop people from creating accounts and sharing false information? That’s not a crime.

Hmmmmmm.........perhaps it's about time that it becomes illegal.

FlyingSquid Mod ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

The FBI does not create laws. Congress does. The same congress that is being currently run by people who are pro-Russia.

So I'm thinking there's some sort of Putin-related reason why that won't happen.

sunzu ,

While technically correct... it appears that you are missing the point here and more broadly misunderstanding how the system actually works.

FlyingSquid Mod ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

Do enlighten me.

sunzu ,

Jan 6

FlyingSquid Mod ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

That's not especially enlightening. I'm not sure why you're telling me I'm missing the point and broadly misunderstanding something and then are so vague about whatever you think I'm not understanding.

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