Russian internet trolls hired U.S. journalists to push their news website, Facebook says

[Nevilledog]

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/russian-internet-trolls-hired-u-s-journalists-push-their-news-n1239000

Some of Russia’s most notorious internet trolls have launched a news website that hired real-life journalism freelancers — including Americans — to contribute, Facebook said Tuesday.

The site, called Peace Data, launched this year with coverage focused largely on the environment and corporate and political corruption. Facebook learned through a tip from the FBI that people formerly associated with the Russian Internet Research Agency, which created a number of influential Twitter and Facebook personas to inflame political tensions in the 2016 election, ran Peace Data and has taken down its known affiliated accounts. It had yet to gain a serious following, Nathaniel Gleicher, the company’s Head of Cybersecurity Policy, said.

“It confirms what I think we’ve all thought: Russian actors are trying to target the 2020 elections and public debate in the U.S., and they’re trying to be creative about it,” Gleicher said.

“But the second thing that it confirms is, it’s not really working,” he said. “You can run a loud, noisy influence campaign like the one we saw in 2016, and you get caught very quickly. Or you can try to run a much more subtle campaign, which is what this looks like. And A, you still get caught, and B, when you run a subtle influence campaign, you’re sort of working at cross-purposes with yourself. You don’t get a lot of attention for it.”

Twitter separately announced Tuesday that it had suspended five accounts related to Peace Data, calling them "Russian state actors."

*snip*

[CaptYossarian]

1. We deserve names.

If these hacks and traitors get straight jobs, we need to know their lack of credibility and ethics.

[bamagal62]

2. Yep. I want to know

Who these journalism freelancers were.

[BlueLucy]

3. The Intercept, Greenwald, and the like.

We've known for a long time.

[NightWatcher]

4. Does Them Hartmann have a show on the channel yet?