Russian disinformation spreading on Internet
Despite the EU banning feeds from Russian government organs like RT and Sputnik, those sneaky Russians have adopted alternative propaganda dissemination routes and continue unabated:
English-language versions of the Russian propaganda videos are now circulating on Twitter and lesser-known platforms popular with American conservatives, including Gab and Truth Social, created by former President Donald Trump, giving Russia a direct conduit to millions of people.
In an indication of the Kremlin’s ambitions and the sprawling reach of its disinformation operations, versions of the videos were also created in Spanish, Italian, German and more than a dozen other languages.
“The genius of this approach is that the videos can be downloaded directly from Telegram and it erases the trail that researchers try to follow,” Nisos’ senior intelligence analyst Patricia Bailey told The Associated Press. “They are creative and adaptable. And they are analyzing their audience.”
Tech companies such as Google’s YouTube and Meta’s Facebook and Instagram also announced they would ban content from the outlets within the 27-nation EU, undermining Russia’s ability to spread its propaganda.
The latest effort revealed by analysts at Nisos involved uploading propaganda videos to Telegram, a loosely moderated platform that is broadly popular in Eastern Europe and used by many conservatives in the United States. In some cases, watermarks identifying the video as RT’s were removed in a further attempt to disguise their source.
Once on Telegram, the videos were downloaded and reposted on platforms including Twitter without any labels or other indications that the video was produced by Russian state media. Military.com
Remember how when the first Hunter Biden stories broke he was labeled as linked to that corrupt fascist horrible Ukraine government? Notice how in the last year the Ukraine government is rehabilitated and all its leaders saints? Just an observation on the power of the media.
Given that the parent company of TikTok is strongly tied to the Chinese Communist Party, surprisingly they may not have quite as much Russian stuff. Too, with things like Tide pod challenges, they may not need anything worse.
The Russians are using social media to push their political propaganda. Just like the Democrats use the mass media in the US. Kinda begs the old chicken and the egg question, doesn’t it – are they imitating the Dems in the US? Or were they the originators and just doing what they do? Conspiracy theorists: have at it.
Category: International Affairs, Pointless blather, Russia, Ukraine
When it comes to lies and disinformation the Russians can’t
hold a candle to our own Democrat party and news media.
Lies, Damn Lies and Democrat Lies.
But it’s okay when Democrats do it! /sarc
What’s the old saying?
Don’t believe 50% of what you hear
and
Don’t believe the other 50% that you see
Speaking of candles, My late Uncle worked in a candle factory he was off Mon-Fri but only worked on Wickends.
At least we got this today!
Not anymore. 😝
Oh, now you’ve done it. You have summoned he who shall not be named.
Release the Kraken.
Ho-hum.
Old news–real old news.
The Russians, and their grandfathers in the Soviet Union before them, have been spreading mis and dis imformation for a century. Planting a story in a news outlet in some country where it is picked up by US media (and not just “conservative” media) who cite it as coming from an independent third-party source is a tried and true technique. It still works.
And of course once it appears in a US outlet it is considered “confirmed” and is published by every other ‘news’ outlet in the country who use the previous US outlet in the chain as the presumably reliable source. That’s how so many US news purveyors can saturate the environment with so much news with so few (if any) actual reporters.
So in plain English the russian side of the propaganda machine has been identified and several media outlets are banning it. Unlike the ukrainian propaganda machine which is still in full operation. Heaven forbid the two propaganda machines actually compete against each other…
While on duty at the console of a large HF teletype receiving
station I would pass the boredom by monitoring TASS on a
paper printer to the side. No monitors back in 1968 and the
reams of paper would pile up on the floor. The outright BS that
came out of Russia was entertaining and no different than the
same BS we get today, from our own media. The only change
today is that one can scroll back through it all on a monitor
instead of searching through a pile of teletype paper on the floor.
TASS, UPI, API, Reuters etc. All the same.
lesser-known platforms popular with American conservatives
Isn’t it amazing how the Democrats are now claiming that conservatives are Russian sympathizers and propagandists. It’s like there’s an election coming up that they are desperately trying to win or something.
The only one I recall linking Hunter to Fascists was Tucker Carlson. Everyone had either thought he had ceased existing or that Every thing was legal and above board.
Oh and Jews aren’t Nazis. I know, I know, at some point everyone has to be called Nazi but Jews have the best defense.
And? Anytime Russians publish anything, it’s BS. Who didn’t grow up during the Cold War here? (Oh, kids, when Russkies go to the trouble of putting out anything, it’s crap… always been. They can’t help it.)
You mean to say that everything that you read on the inherwebz…or other “news” sources is not true? WoW! Who knew?
This smacks more as an anti-conservative hit piece then actual news.
More truth on RT than any of our major networks,including Fox. Amazing how professional liars are always yelling about the other liars. Getting really sick of this deep state BS.