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Facebook Busts Russian Disinfo Networks As US Election Looms (wired.com) 80

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Wired: Facebook announced on Thursday that it has taken down three "coordinated inauthentic behavior" networks promoting disinformation that included nearly 300 Facebook and Instagram accounts along with dozens of Facebook Pages and Groups. While the efforts were seemingly run independently, and focused primarily outside of the US, each has ties to Russian intelligence -- and they collectively provide a sobering echo of the social media assault that roiled the 2016 election. The networks Facebook tackled dated back at least three years, but most had few followers at the time they were caught. They primarily promoted non-Facebook websites in an apparent effort to get around the platform's detection mechanisms, focusing on news and current events, particularly geopolitics. They targeted users in a number of countries, including Syria, Ukraine, Turkey, Japan, the UK, and Belarus, as well as the United States to a lesser extent.

Facebook attributed one of the disinformation distribution networks to "actors associated with election interference in the US in the past, including those involved in 'DC leaks' in 2016." In other words, the actors were likely tied to Fancy Bear, also known as APT 28, the group also responsible for hacks of the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. Facebook attributes the second network to "individuals associated with past activity by the Russian Internet Research Agency," the so-called troll farm that wreaked havoc on Facebook in 2016. The company noted that it is unclear whether the IRA is still an active entity or what form it takes at this point. The third network had "links to individuals in Russia, including those associated with Russian intelligence services." None of the networks focused solely on the US. Instead, they engaged with a broad array of topics connected to Russian interests, including the war in Ukraine, the Syrian civil war, the election and protests in Belarus, Russia's relationship with NATO, and politics in Turkey.

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Facebook Busts Russian Disinfo Networks As US Election Looms

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  • by dargaud ( 518470 ) <slashdot2@gd a r gaud.net> on Friday September 25, 2020 @08:03AM (#60542790) Homepage
    They shouldn't bust them (in the sense cancel their accounts) because they'll just show up as new accounts by the next day. They should just ghost them: make them invisible to normal accounts, only visible to themselves, other ghosted accounts and the rest of Russia.
    • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      I'm sure they would figure that out pretty quickly. If they can ban IPs, email domains, blocks of phone numbers etc. it will be more effective.

      Having said that Facebook's efforts have been pretty pathetic in the past. Accounts claiming to be Americans but which only post during Moscow office hours and occasionally forget to scrub the location data in uploaded photos are quite obvious to everyone except Facebook.

    • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

      by geekmux ( 1040042 )

      They shouldn't bust them (in the sense cancel their accounts) because they'll just show up as new accounts by the next day. They should just ghost them: make them invisible to normal accounts, only visible to themselves, other ghosted accounts and the rest of Russia.

      Facebook already has millions of dead people. Now you want to haunt it too?

      Yeah OK, Paul Bearer.

      And this is an APT. They weren't compiled yesterday. To say they're likely well aware of countermeasures, is putting it mildly.

    • Re: (Score:2, Troll)

      Of course it's impossible to stop all inauthentic accounts. It's strictly fearmongering operation on part of facebook, so casual users would be less likely to explore points of view unaligned with those of US establishment, out of fear of being called fancy bear bots and losing their accounts.
      • by gtall ( 79522 )

        That's some fancy conspiracy theory you are smoking there.

        • Look there's insane amount of autogenerated inauthentic crap out here, and everyone know this. Political propaganda won't work via such a vector. While fighting it for sure can be considered propaganda on its own. A nice way to discredit pretty much anything by connecting it to spam bots, any point of view out there can be found retold by a spam bot somewhere just due to sheer volume of stuff they peddle. It's just a matter of cherry-picking which exact viewpoints you want to discredit.
    • They shouldn't bust them (in the sense cancel their accounts) because they'll just show up as new accounts by the next day. They should just ghost them: make them invisible to normal accounts, only visible to themselves, other ghosted accounts and the rest of Russia.

      I know this *sounds* easy in theory, in practice it's not so easy to do this kind of thing. Remember, Facebook must balance it's "For Profit" status and because the thing they are selling is access to YOU (i.e. you are the product they sell) it's somewhat counter productive to just dump accounts or isolate them.

      Personally, I wish that Facebook would just get out of the business of policing the truthfulness of political stuff and concentrate on driving off things like porn, incitement of violence and the l

    • Re:Ghost them ! (Score:5, Insightful)

      by igny ( 716218 ) on Friday September 25, 2020 @11:45AM (#60543498) Homepage Journal
      How would ghosting be news-worthy? How would ghosting help company's PR? How could ghosting be possibly used in the election campaign?

      Busting on the other hand...
  • by jellomizer ( 103300 ) on Friday September 25, 2020 @08:32AM (#60542866)

    Our freedom of speech and expression, at its best means we can talk about the problems that are affecting us share what works and what doesn't without fear of reprisal, for saying something inconvenient to the agenda (good or bad) of the ruling system. Allowing for better changes in the system and allow the country to grow.
    At its worse it is used to spread lies, discredit anyone who is in dissent of the of the running agenda (good or bad). Gaslight around real issues, and exaggerate or just lie about small issues to make them seem like it is the real problem. Painting people of the other side as characters or the real person Liberals are either Lazy Welfare Dependant bums, or Academic Elitist who live in a world separated from reality. Conservatives are either Wealthy corrupt businessmen, or poor rednecks hicks who delight in their cruelty towards others. Where we Americans are being shown to be more different than similar. Forcing us to stick more firmly into our sided political parties, and accepts each sides viewpoint as an absolute.

      Blue states do care about the farmers in the Red States, we want them to prosper and do well. Red States do care about those city based industries in the Blue States as well. And would want the people living in these cities to do well and grow too. There is some disconnect because what it takes to succeed in a Rural area, is much different than what it takes in a City area.
    This is where we are now, Freedom of Speech at its worse, because it is being used as a weapon against us, not as a tool to help us.

    Having an informed populace is key for a democracy, It allows us to make better decisions, that will support the country on the whole. The problem isn't buzzwords like Socialism or Fascism. With a strong and informed Democracy it makes sure that the Government is working for the people and not the People working for the government.

    • by Anonymous Coward

      And anonymous posting is STILL disabled on D2 right here on Slashdot.

      • And anonymous posting is STILL disabled on D2 right here on Slashdot.

        Odd. That post saying anonymous posting is disabled... was posted anonymously.

        • by aitikin ( 909209 ) on Friday September 25, 2020 @09:48AM (#60543082)
          Seems you have to be logged in to post anonymously now. Logged out, private browsing window (in case cookies), tried to post, got this message:

          "Sorry, anonymous posting has been turned off. Please register and log in [slashdot.org]".

          • I no longer see any option to post anonymously, even while logged in. I assume that's also the case for ASCII swastika dude, because we're now getting to see how creatively he's named his accounts.
            • And despite fucking those of us who DONT post that bullshit ASCII art, they can STILL post swastikas. That ought to tell you where Slashdot's priorities lie.

              No, I'm not the swastika guy, despite the humorous comments alleging it. I do however report ASCII art as spam, and would support a filter to remove ASCII art, as it isn't making an actual argument of any kind.

              • I don't get how it makes it past the lameness filter. God forbid I try to post a table with numbers, but 30 ASCII art swastikas get spammed all over the place.

      • by sconeu ( 64226 )

        What the hell is D2?

        • Jesus fuck. D1 and D2 are versions of the discussion system. You can select them in the preferences. read the FAQ already.

          I posted that using D1, which is crap, but they removed the Post Anonymously checkbox, even when logged in, from D2.

          • by sconeu ( 64226 )

            Take a look at my ID, asshole.

            I've been set on D1 forever (but at the time they called it "classic"), and haven't had a need or desire to change that preference in years and years.

            You didn't need the attitude, jerk.

            • That UID is WHY I gave you an attitude. It was an enormous deal, for multiple years, and you STILL didn't notice?

              Cry me a river. Actually, don't. It's not worth it anymore.

      • Anonymous Coward is now disabled in D1 too. This is reminiscent of what happened in August 2019.
        I will miss this feature, as I used to post anonymously with contrary points (less as troll and more as an attempt to keep conversations moving). Unfortunately I don't have the patience of the professional trolls to make sock puppet accounts.
        https://news.slashdot.org/stor... [slashdot.org]
    • Thanks for this.
    • Painting people of the other side as characters or the real person Liberals are either Lazy Welfare Dependant bums, or Academic Elitist who live in a world separated from reality.

      There are more than a few Lazy Welfare Dependent bums and Academic Elitists who won't appreciate being labeled as Liberals.

    • by geekmux ( 1040042 ) on Friday September 25, 2020 @09:37AM (#60543060)

      You've made some accurate assessments, but unfortunately this highlights our stupidity, not merely fragility.

      And the fragility? Yeah, that would be represented by the Woke Generation hell bent on elevating feelings over facts, which is the real issue we have to deal with regarding Freedom of Speech. And no, this is not meant to be an attack on some marginalized group, so don't even start with that bullshit either. This is a very serious issue. It is fairly easy to discredit a liar. It is becoming more and more difficult to get humans to accept facts, especially when they are as cold and hard as the bread they'll be getting in lines soon.

      As far as Blue and Red states, let's just knock that shit off too. It's gang talk. Literally. I'm sick of it. The amount of true Representatives (meaning representing The People, not Greed) in America can be counted on one hand of a bad shop teacher. If you think there's still a "good" side left, then just show me your colors so I know which gang you belong to.

      With a strong and informed Democracy it makes sure that the Government is working for the people and not the People working for the government.

      Agreed, but even a strong and informed Democracy, doesn't stand a chance against rampant corruption. Your morals, truths, and do-the-right-thing attitude will be silenced by Greed, just as it is today.

      We use social media to inform, and citizens accept that. Even defend it. We continue to support the bought-and-paid for MSM as the cheerleaders for our gangs. THAT is your average "strong" citizen representing our Democracy.

      • It is hard to accept facts today when there is another source saying that they are just as reputable if not more so saying something the opposite.

        A Car Salesman will not try to sell you a car based on facts, They will sell you a car based on feelings.
        So you are looking at that Toyota Tundra, it is a good Truck, it is reliable. But take a look at the Ford. Now that is a real manly Truck no soft curves here. I can tell you are a tough guy who is going to need something that can work with you.

        This isn't a fa

        • It is hard to accept facts today when there is another source saying that they are just as reputable if not more so saying something the opposite.

          My final comments on this sum it up. You have to give a shit enough to care. And hardly any two sides show "just as reputable if not more". Follow the money. Follow the politics. Follow the belief system. There are many ways to dig deeper into people's motivations to lie.

          A Car Salesman will not try to sell you a car based on facts, They will sell you a car based on feelings.

          Exactly. And now you know how to tell when someone is lying to you. Those making truthful statements can back them up with facts and evidence. Those trying to sell you something will back it up with emotions and feelings. And the

    • by hey! ( 33014 ) on Friday September 25, 2020 @09:55AM (#60543116) Homepage Journal

      I'm not so sure about people in red and blue states caring about each other. It's not something you can take as given. You need to qualify it with "some". Some people in red states care about what happens to people in blue states and vice versa. Some do not.

      That's always true; at any given time there is a certain *incidence* of caring or not caring in the population toward outsiders. And over time that incidence varies, and is subject to manipulation. Fear and insecurity are the best tools of the divider. Someone who feels secure and confident is more likely to care about other people; someone who feels insecure and fearful isn't going to care about people different from them; in fact they'll be looking for people to throw under the bus.

      Our two party system already encourages a divide-an-conquer strategy which stokes fear and resentment between different groups of Americans. That was already bad enough, but on top of that COVID-19 is the greatest challenge to the nation since WW2. The experience of surviving both the Great Depression and WW2 created the most self-confident generation of Americans ever; and not coincidentally the most generous and caring. But that generation has mostly passed now; those that follow have inherited a superficially optimistic demeanor, but without the empowering experience of triumphing over adversity. We're still optimistic, but it's optimism of fact denial, not the kind that comes from knowing you can adapt and prosper.

      Our enemies know this, and are doing everything they can to spread fear and doubt because that will lead to the election of polarizing politicians. Divided is weak, so they want us divided and politicians that profit from division are all too willing to go along.

      • by XXongo ( 3986865 )

        Our two party system already encourages a divide-an-conquer strategy which stokes fear and resentment between different groups of Americans. ...

        Yep!!

        That is the real problem we need to solve. And, as far as I can see, nobody is trying to solve it.

        (and, not the two-parties per se, but the actual root of the problem, which is the greatest-plurality winner-take-all ballot counting that underlies it.)

        Our enemies know this, and are doing everything they can to spread fear and doubt because that will lead to the election of polarizing politicians. Divided is weak, so they want us divided and politicians that profit from division are all too willing to go along.

        Indeed.

      • by k6mfw ( 1182893 )

        I'm not so sure about people in red and blue states caring about each other. It's not something you can take as given. You need to qualify it with "some". Some people in red states care about what happens to people in blue states and vice versa. Some do not.

        I think it only takes a small but well placed few individuals to get entire populations to go along with their agenda. Some of the stuff I see on the internet especially social media gives impression the red and blue states are very close to a shooting war. In reality most are simply busy living day to day. But things can become ugly, I'd not be surprised this is how a few individuals manage to start the Civil War and get millions to engage in the worst war US has ever been involved with.

        • We are not seeing droves of Governors from the mid-west cheering that California has a lot of forest fires. We don't see east coast Governors cheering that Texas and Louisiana are getting hit with Hurricanes. While I am sure some people will say that the Wildfires are a sign from God that Californians are corrupt people (Ignoring the natural disasters going on in their neck of the woods) or some people will say those who are in the path of the Hurricanes serves them right to disbelieve global warming (Ig

  • We can all sleep better tonight thanks to Facebook's unrelenting efforts. I'm also full of shit.
    • We can all sleep better tonight thanks to Facebook's unrelenting efforts. I'm also full of shit.

      If there is ONE principle you can count on with Facebook is that they will do what it takes to maximize profits. The only reason they even care about this is the near universal outcry about meddling in the election by foreign governments using their platform hurts their subscriber numbers. If it hadn't been brought to light, you can be sure they'd be out selling access to you to the highest bidder without regard to where the money comes from or what ads they are sending you. Which means this whole announ

  • Seriously guys, this again ? It's not a good look.
  • When will facebook do something about the more pernicious disinformation campaigns from self-interested, wealthy and powerful companies? The world is filled with propaganda and almost all our information comes through a filter of someone's self-interest. There are no reliable independent sources of information. The Russians are just one more player in that game. What about the American intelligence agencies for that matter. Does anyone really think they aren't engaged in disinformation campaigns that prom
  • Watch out for republican and democrat disinfo! They're notorious!

    All our election problems are domestic in origin, even the guys who hired the Russians, Chinese, whoever else you want to blame..

    • Hired? They do it for free. The chaos is beneficial to them. See how the term "civil war" is getting brought up repeatedly since their guy won. Utterly predictable, and widely predicted. If anyone's hiring in this scenario, it's the Eastern European oligarchs who employ our President's services as a money launderer. Still haven't seen those tax returns, huh? That's where a lot of them will be listed.
      I suppose you could say the decades of propaganda from the domestic oligarchy via Fox News is the origin, tho

  • Wow, 300 whole accounts between both Instagram and Facebook??!! These Russians have almost as much influence as a extremely small high school! Bet it was worth the millions spent to stop them.
    • So might as well as delete Trump's accounts. He's got as much influence as Tom in 11th grade by your logic.

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