Facebook takedowns show new Russian activity targeted Biden, praised Trump

[Gothmog]

Putin and Russia are also worried about Joe Biden

Link to tweet

Facebook on Monday said it removed a network of Russian-backed accounts that posed as locals weighing in on political issues in swing states, praising President Trump and attacking former Vice President Joe Biden, illustrating that the familiar threat of Russian interference looms over the next U.S. presidential race.

Facebook said the network bears the hallmark of the same Kremlin-backed group that interfered in the 2016 election by sowing social discord, boosting Trump and attacking Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. The new disinformation campaign appears to follow the same playbook.

This time, a coordinated group of Russian accounts that appears to show some links to the Internet Research Agency took largely to Facebook’s photo-sharing app, Instagram, to post content this year about U.S. politics and memes targeting Democratic presidential contenders.

The operation demonstrated a sophisticated understanding of the schisms within the Democratic Party as it labors to choose a nominee to face Trump next November. One Russian account, which portrayed itself as as a black voter in Michigan, used the #blacklivesmatter hashtag to hammer Biden for his gaffes about racial issues. Some of the accounts boosted one of his left-wing rivals, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

[Gothmog]

1. Joe Biden was a top target of Russians

Link to tweet

[Otto Lidenbrock]

2. Not surprising but worrying for him

Facebook demographics for regular users tilts to older people of which form the backbone of the electorate and his support. Twitter is overestimated in its outreach because you can curate your feed to not follow politics or political figures but facebook ads and fake news is targetted to reach people one way or another. People who are rank and file voters that don't follow politics as a devotee because they don't have time or not interested. Those people are the ones most likely to be fooled into believing it.

[Cha]

3. yeah.. fucking russians are scared shitless

of Joe Biden.

[Scurrilous]

4. ...

[Gothmog]

5. Maddow warns Russia is interfering in the 2020 election in 'exactly the same way' as they did in 201

Link to tweet

[Tarheel_Dem]

6. I think we all had our suspicions, but Rachel's show put it front & center. Trolls are all over....

social media, and political websites like this one. It's scary as hell that people are falling for that same playbook again.