Russian Trolls?

HellSquirrel

http://uk.businessinsider.com/russia-internet-trolls-and-donald-trump-2016-7?r=US&IR=T

Interesting. I certainly have noticed an upswing in "Russia is amazing, it's all the fault of the bad Americans" in the last few years and I was struck by the amount of supposedly Europeans talking about how it's fiiiine that Russia can invade another country and annex a part of it, defending a structural weakening in their own region.

I have also noticed a reasonable correlation between pro-Trump online supporters and pro-Russia. It's hardly surprising, even without anything nefarious involved, Trump is blatantly obviously weak and isolationist, and an American president that would remove the US' power from NATO would be God's own gift to Putin and his expansionist ideals.

Is it possible that a lot of us are being uber-trolled?

"It is designed, as retired KGB General Oleg Kalugin once defined it, 'to drive wedges in the Western community alliances of all sorts, particularly NATO, to sow discord among allies, to weaken the United States in the eyes of the people in Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America, and thus to prepare ground in case the war really occurs.' The most common subcategory of active measures is dezinformatsiya, or disinformation: feverish, if believable lies cooked up by Moscow Centre and planted in friendly media outlets to make democratic nations look sinister." - Michael Weiss

Potential case in point: Wikileaks Clinton/Sanders. Given the relative lack of actual evidence of misconduct (as opposed to a couple of people frustratedly talking about it), the main result of this is to split the Clinton Democrats and the Sanders Democrats.

Caveat - I am sure there are plenty of Europeans and Americans pro-Russia with or without being pro-Trump. It's a perfectly legit position. But there does indeed seem to be some mischief afoot and it's being pretty smartly organised.

I suppose history will tell eventually.

Felix Jones is God

Thought it was a Bargain Alert for cut price Troll dolls

the evasion_kid

The Russians do propaganda well...all they have to do is show you the news stories the western msm don't....

HellSquirrel

If only :P

Rumpy Pumpy

Troll is quickly becoming the most misunderstood word in Internet parlance.

Sir Osis of Liver.

Fcuk it,someone had to do it.

HellSquirrel

Yeah, you know what, that sums it all up. Everything about this year. Let us all Trolololol off into the distance, it's probably the safest option really!

Harvey Normal

The real question is why there are pro US trolls in Europe. After all it has invaded and destabilised the Middle East by removing controllable dictators, the direct cause of most of the mass migrations we see across the region and in the Med, which in turn has lead to European destabilisation. Its banks caused the last economic crisis which has a bigger effect on Europe than the US due to its position as a reserve currency. Its military treats European countries as vassal states.

it's also in a fairly virulently europhobic ideological zeitgeist - most of the anti-white (I.e anti European or anti-Eurocentric) rhethoric comes from the fever swamps of the American university system and transfer east to Europe. America teaches Europeans to hate Europe.

Russia isn't a threat to Europe at all. It's a local threat to some areas with Russian populations, that's it. It's not going to invade or recreate the soviet empire. It doesn't pathologise European culture in its universities. It is trying to stabilise Syria against the anarchy of the US led Islamist.

maudgonner

Felix Jones is God wrote: »

Thought it was a Bargain Alert for cut price Troll dolls

They'd be a great bargain too, because open one up and there would be a smaller one inside, and a smaller one inside that and a smaller...

evolving_doors

Robbie Williams has a new song extolling the virtues of Russia.

Herb Powell

Harvey Normal wrote: »

The real question is why there are pro US trolls in Europe. After all it has invaded and destabilised the Middle East by removing controllable dictators, the direct cause of most of the mass migrations we see across the region and in the Med, which in turn has lead to European destabilisation. Its banks caused the last economic crisis which has a bigger effect on Europe than the US due to its position as a reserve currency. Its military treats European countries as vassal states.

it's also in a fairly virulently europhobic ideological zeitgeist - most of the anti-white (I.e anti European or anti-Eurocentric) rhethoric comes from the fever swamps of the American university system and transfer east to Europe. America teaches Europeans to hate Europe.

Russia isn't a threat to Europe at all. It's a local threat to some areas with Russian populations, that's it. It's not going to invade or recreate the soviet empire. It doesn't pathologise European culture in its universities. It is trying to stabilise Syria against the anarchy of the US led Islamist.

Edgy.

machiavellianme

What are these Russian trolls?
Ones that get smaller and smaller with each new layer exposed and then acting as a WUM?

twill

My guess is that propagandists are recruited by businesses and embassies everywhere to 'troll' every popular website, write letters to papers, etc. Journal.ie is full of them, and they're especially given to defending the bank guarantee.

Interesting. I certainly have noticed an upswing in "Russia is amazing, it's all the fault of the bad Americans" in the last few years and I was struck by the amount of supposedly Europeans talking about how it's fiiiine that Russia can invade another country and annex a part of it, defending a structural weakening in their own region.

I see a lot of that, but I think that's more of a symptom of the Cold War malady that seems to dominate discussion on world affairs nowadays and the extreme polarisation of politics. The extreme measures of the US in the Middle East in seeking to gain dominance has led some of its critics to justify Russia's support of the dictators the US is seeking to unseat.

Harvey Normal

Herb Powell wrote: »

Edgy.

Harsh. But fair.

HensVassal

Gebgbegb wrote: »

Robbie Williams has a new song extolling the virtues of Russia.

Good old Robbie. Fine manc

Grayson

There's been loads of stuff about them. They have a full state run group that do this. We even know where the office building is. I guess the US do it as well but they're more secretive.They're also more subtle. When you're on a piece about ukraine and you go to the comment section you can spot the russian trolls a mile away. They're all buzz words and name throwing. You can't really see the US trolls.

This is a new video by Samantha Bee where she interviews two of the russian trolls.

Gatling

We have a few resident Putinas on here as they are more commonly known .

RDM_83 again

Maybe there is a certain amount of paid Russian internet image boosters, its not a big deal though, I'd prefer that people were able to see both sides, for example the USA and UK used incendiary weapons in the built up urban environment of Fallujah so calling the Russians use of the same tactics a war crime just shows bias.

I don't think most western European people are that attached to places like Ukraine or Georgia, or view Russia that negatively.
People are pretty sick of war and conflict and can see how certain interest groups want to escalate tension

Annasopra

How is a paid propagandist a troll?

the dark phantom

Harvey Normal wrote: »

The real question is why there are pro US trolls in Europe. After all it has invaded and destabilised the Middle East by removing controllable dictators, the direct cause of most of the mass migrations we see across the region and in the Med, which in turn has lead to European destabilisation. Its banks caused the last economic crisis which has a bigger effect on Europe than the US due to its position as a reserve currency. Its military treats European countries as vassal states.

it's also in a fairly virulently europhobic ideological zeitgeist - most of the anti-white (I.e anti European or anti-Eurocentric) rhethoric comes from the fever swamps of the American university system and transfer east to Europe. America teaches Europeans to hate Europe.

Russia isn't a threat to Europe at all. It's a local threat to some areas with Russian populations, that's it. It's not going to invade or recreate the soviet empire. It doesn't pathologise European culture in its universities. It is trying to stabilise Syria against the anarchy of the US led Islamist.

Ssshh, They don't want to know the facts here. America can't do no wrong Its always some other countries fault.

Grayson

Joeytheparrot wrote: »

How is a paid propagandist a troll?

Well, a troll is someone to attempts to derail a discussion online. Generally for the lulz. But if they do it with the aim directing the conversation in a particular direction, or just to spam, and they're paid for it then I guess they're a propagandist and a troll.

Your Face

These types of threads in After Hours always instills in me the suspicion that their creators can't hack it in the Politics forum.

Grayson

Here's an article about a freelance propagandist/hacker. He works in latin american countries and is hired by politicians to change the narrative

http://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-how-to-hack-an-election/

For eight years, Sepúlveda, now 31, says he traveled the continent rigging major political campaigns. With a budget of $600,000, the Peña Nieto job was by far his most complex. He led a team of hackers that stole campaign strategies, manipulated social media to create false waves of enthusiasm and derision, and installed spyware in opposition offices, all to help Peña Nieto, a right-of-center candidate, eke out a victory. On that July night, he cracked bottle after bottle of Colón Negra beer in celebration. As usual on election night, he was alone.

Sepúlveda’s career began in 2005, and his first jobs were small—mostly defacing campaign websites and breaking into opponents’ donor databases. Within a few years he was assembling teams that spied, stole, and smeared on behalf of presidential campaigns across Latin America. He wasn’t cheap, but his services were extensive. For $12,000 a month, a customer hired a crew that could hack smartphones, spoof and clone Web pages, and send mass e-mails and texts. The premium package, at $20,000 a month, also included a full range of digital interception, attack, decryption, and defense. The jobs were carefully laundered through layers of middlemen and consultants. Sepúlveda says many of the candidates he helped might not even have known about his role; he says he met only a few.

Grayson

Your Face wrote: »

These types of threads in After Hours always instills in me the suspicion that their creators can't hack it in the Politics forum.

I've ventured into that place. Never again. It brings out the nasty side in some people.

sheesh

Grayson wrote: »

There's been loads of stuff about them. They have a full state run group that do this. We even know where the office building is. I guess the US do it as well but they're more secretive.They're also more subtle. When you're on a piece about ukraine and you go to the comment section you can spot the russian trolls a mile away. They're all buzz words and name throwing. You can't really see the US trolls.

This is a new video by Samantha Bee where she interviews two of the russian trolls.

They are shills not trolls

And the americans do it too

I remember on a discussion on israel the same user account would be defending Israels actions and the style of writing would change every now and again as if the person using the account was changed.

the dark phantom

Grayson wrote: »

Here's an article about a freelance propagandist/hacker. He works in latin american countries and is hired by politicians to change the narrative

http://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-how-to-hack-an-election/

Its a disgusting world we see once we scratch under the surface.

SkinnyBuddha

well if any of you're mates has this , its a dead give away they have been turned....

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-37667694

First Up

Gebgbegb wrote:

Robbie Williams has a new song extolling the virtues of Russia.

Extolling the virtues? You should get someone to explain it to you.

osmiumartist

I'd like to know where these trolls come from saying that anybody who doesn't hate Russia is a "Russian Troll" and that everybody online who hates Russia isn't possibly a troll and is most likely a professor of political theory taking time out from their work at an orphanage.

Elmer Blooker

SkinnyBuddha wrote: »

well if any of you're mates has this , its a dead give away they have been turned....

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-37667694

Who cares if there is a Putin calendar? I presume the Russians can do whatever they want in THEIR own country, personally I couldn't give a ***** whether theres a Putin calendar or not but it seems to offend those at the morally superior sanctimonious (state owned) Ministry of Truth!

osmiumartist

SkinnyBuddha wrote: »

well if any of you're mates has this , its a dead give away they have been turned....

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-37667694

http://i3.cpcache.com/product/1102713333/hillary_2016_calendar_print.jpg
Therefore US Trolls. Or something.

Gatling

Elmer Blooker wrote: »

Who cares if there is a Putin calendar? I presume the Russians can do whatever they want in THEIR own country, personally I couldn't give a ***** whether theres a Putin calendar or not but it seems to offend those at the morally superior sanctimonious (state owned) Ministry of Truth!

Prime example

Elmer Blooker

Gatling wrote: »

We have a few resident Putinas on here as they are more commonly known .

Isn't it Putinistas? I thought you would have known the correct spelling by now!
Perhaps the BBC should look closer to home if they want a laugh!
Hint: Their own FM.

Gatling

Elmer Blooker wrote: »

Isn't it Putinistas? I thought you would have known the correct spelling by now!
Perhaps the BBC should look closer to home if they want a laugh!
Hint: Their own FM.

No Putinas

entropi

Trolls = unpaid, doing it for the lulz. These are shills, paid to promote an agenda for their paymaster. Not something new, its just that you're seeing a lot more of it due to the political tension between Russia and USA being given more attention due to the USA's debacle of an election process.

dresden8

Everything comes back to Iraq.

US and UK lied and lied to get their war. Which they subsequently fncked up on a massive scale.

And now they're back with the "Trust us" line. They have since fncked up Libya and Syria.

The US was "bombing" IS in Syria for years. The Russians have been bombing them for a few months with their allegedly crappy Russian tech. IS are on the run in Syria. Odd that. The US can bomb the world into submission, except their Saudi allies puppets.

The only thing we can be sure of is that the US and UK along with their media affiliates are lying to us. It's there, in front of your eyes.

Putin is scum. But he's not lying to me.

Gatling

dresden8 wrote: »

The US was "bombing" IS in Syria for years. The Russians have been bombing them for a few months with their allegedly crappy Russian tech. IS are on the run in Syria.

The only thing we can be sure of is that the US and UK along with their media affiliates are lying to us. It's there, in front of your eyes.

Putin is scum. But he's not lying to me.

Lol remind me how many years were america was Bombing isis in Syria ,
And it's a well proven fact that Russia has rarely targeted isis in Syria ,quite the opposite actually .
Putin's lying is nothing new along with people who repeat what RT or Sputnik news is saying

HellSquirrel

entropi wrote: »

Trolls = unpaid, doing it for the lulz. These are shills, paid to promote an agenda for their paymaster. Not something new, its just that you're seeing a lot more of it due to the political tension between Russia and USA being given more attention due to the USA's debacle of an election process.

True, but the term "Troll army" has been used enough that it's kinda a thing by enough repeating of it. Strictly speaking, you're correct though, yeah.

dresden8

Gatling wrote: »

Lol remind me how many years were america was Bombing isis in Syria ,
And it's a well proven fact that Russia has rarely targeted isis in Syria ,quite the opposite actually .
Putin's lying is nothing new along with people who repeat what RT or Sputnik news is saying

The US started bombing Syria on 22 September 2014. And ISIS continued making headway against Assad.

The Russians started bombing ISIS in September 2015 and have been pushing ISIS back ever since.

Poland and Germany must be worried about the lack of US military capability.

Or else it's all a lie.

Gatling

dresden8 wrote: »

The Russians started bombing ISIS in September 2015 and have been pushing ISIS back ever since.
.

Nonsense Bombing schools hospitals and civillian aid convoys but definitely not Bombing isis sorry

HellSquirrel

dresden8 wrote: »

Or else it's all a lie.

Yes, the Middle East is a plot to fool you. Syria doesn't actually exist.

dresden8

Gatling wrote: »

Nonsense Bombing schools hospitals and civillian aid convoys but definitely not Bombing isis sorry

Ah well. How many have America killed with their bombing.

Tell me the number. I'l like to know where they publish it.

Gatling

dresden8 wrote: »

I'l like to know where they publish it.

Stick to Sputnik

dresden8

HellSquirrel wrote: »

Yes, the Middle East is a plot to fool you. Syria doesn't actually exist.

Nope the middle east exists. As does Syria.

You are just too stupid to know what is going on.

You remember the videos from Desert Storm and Yugoslavia?

The US could drop a bomb down an air conditioning vent. ISIS were somehow impervious to relentless American aerial onslaught.

In the desert.

Now how could that happen?

dresden8

Gatling wrote: »

Stick to Sputnik

I'm sure that's meant to be smart, but I just can't work out how.

US affiliated media give a daily body count of Russian casualties.

What is the equivalent figure for US "collateral" casualties.

Any link would do.

Any.

Elmer Blooker

civil defence aid workers have released a photo of the latest victims of Russian aggression.
http://www.petsworld.in/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/golden-puppy-with-kittens.jpg
mummy, why is Putin a bad man?

Gatling

Elmer Blooker wrote: »

civil defence aid workers have released

A calendar

Obsessed with this white hat crowd seriously obsessional .
Beats going on about the fascist junta in Kiev hey

HellSquirrel

Gatling wrote: »

A calendar

Obsessed with this white hat crowd seriously obsessional .
Beats going on about the fascist junta in Kiev hey

Is...that a song? There's a certain poetry to it, but buggered if I can make out what it means.

Gatling

HellSquirrel wrote: »

Is...that a song? There's a certain poetry to it, but buggered if I can make out what it means.

Poster spent several years posting about some conspiracy about a nazi junta in Kiev but for the last several months everything is about these white hats in Syria ,
Post about Hilary Clinton and you will get a post about the white hats in Syria,post about trump get a post about the white hats in Syria ,

NikoTopps

I was born in Russia so ill just say one thing:

Без комментариев! - No comment!

:pac:

VladamirP

NikoTopps wrote: »

I was born in Russia so ill just say one thing:

Без комментариев! - No comment!

:pac:

Добро пожаловать в Ирландии :cool:


I'm not a Russian troll, nobody pays me.