“Analysts tracking Russian influence operations find a feedback loop between Kremlin propaganda and far-right memes.” More …
Russia
Sputnik, the Russian news agency, is under investigation by the FBI
“The FBI recently questioned a former White House correspondent for Sputnik, the Russian-government-funded news agency, as part of an investigation into whether it is acting as an undeclared propaganda arm of the Kremlin in violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). As part of the probe, Yahoo News has learned, the bureau has obtained a thumb drive containing thousands of internal Sputnik emails and documents — material that could potentially help prosecutors build a case that the news agency played a role in the Russian government “influence campaign” that was waged during last year’s presidential election and, in the view of U.S. intelligence officials, is still ongoing.” More …
Under fire, Facebook refuses to disclose political ads bought by Russian trolls
“Facebook, which acknowledged this week that it sold $100,000 worth of political ads in the last two years to accounts linked to a Russian troll factory, came under stinging criticism Thursday over its refusal to release copies of the ads to the public — or to congressional investigators.” More …
Kushner Keeps Winning Interpersonal Feuds, But Not Policy Fights
“His latest victory: Trump apparently sided with Kushner when his own lawyers argued that he should resign from his White House job.”
Russia Used Facebook Events to Organize Anti-Immigrant Rallies on U.S. Soil
“Pushing fake news was just one component of the Russian campaign to shape American minds. Part two: organizing anti-immigrant events echoing themes from the pro-Trump press.” More …
Russia’s Facebook Fake News Could Have Reached 70 Million Americans
“Facebook acknowledged that Russian propagandists spent $100,000 on election ads. It neglected to mention how many millions of people those ads reached.” More …
How Facebook Changed the Spy Game
“Any doubt that Russia has been running a strategically targeted disinformation campaign in the United States was erased on Wednesday, when Facebook revealed that it had deleted 470 ‘inauthentic’ accounts that were based in Russia and had paid $100,000 to promote divisive ads during the 2016 presidential election.” More …
Congressman Dana Rohrbacher: The One Race Where Trump’s Putin Problem Might Hurt the GOP
“Deepening controversy around the Trump campaign’s Russian ties is barely registering in the early stages of competitive congressional races around the country. But if there’s one place where investigations into Moscow’s support for Donald Trump might matter, it’s in Republican Dana Rohrabacher’s California district— the increasingly competitive Orange County seat held by a man who can’t stop defending the Kremlin.” More …
How the GOP Became the Party of Putin
“Republicans have sold their souls to Russia. And Trump isn’t the only reason why.” More …
The Russian “Firehose of Falsehood” Propaganda Model: Why It Might Work and Options to Counter It
“The Russian propaganda model is high-volume and multichannel, and it disseminates messages without regard for the truth. It is also rapid, continuous, and repetitive, and it lacks commitment to consistency. Although these techniques would seem to run counter to the received wisdom for successful information campaigns, research in psychology supports many of the most successful aspects of the model. Furthermore, the very factors that make the firehose of falsehood effective also make it difficult to counter. ” More …