Computational propaganda

demfad

Great current example of how computational propaganda was used to make the #releasethememo hashtag trend on SM, which in turn dominated the US news media and indeed affected the behaviour of law makers and indeed allowed the president of the United States to release the information.

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/02/04/trump-twitter-russians-release-the-memo-216935

The problem with the term “fake news” is that it is completely wrong, denoting a passive intention. What is happening on social media is very real; it is not passive; and it is information warfare. There is very little argument among analytical academics about the overall impact of “political bots” that seek to influence how we think, evaluate and make decisions about the direction of our countries and who can best lead us—even if there is still difficulty in distinguishing whose disinformation is whose. Samantha Bradshaw, a researcher with Oxford University’s Computational Propaganda Research Project who has helped to document the impact of "polbot" activity, told me: “Often, it’s hard to tell where a particular story comes from. Alt-right groups and Russian disinformation campaigns are often indistinguishable since their goals often overlap. But what really matters is the tools that these groups use to achieve their goals: Computational propaganda serves to distort the political process and amplify fringe views in ways that no previous communication technology could.”

expectationlost

so propaganda (via supposed news) isn't new its just the speed?, I was researching the ban on political advertising reading about the political adveritsing ban and the challenges to it in the European courts, some suggest the internet means this ban should be overturned but a 2013 case CASE OF ANIMAL DEFENDERS INTERNATIONAL v. THE UNITED KINGDOM says

119. In the first place, the applicant argued, referring to paragraph 77 of the VgT judgment, that limiting the prohibition to radio and television was illogical given the comparative potency of newer media such as the internet. However, the Court considers coherent a distinction based on the particular influence of the broadcast media. In particular, the Court recognises the immediate and powerful effect of the broadcast media, an impact reinforced by the continuing function of radio and television as familiar sources of entertainment in the intimacy of the home (Jersild v. Denmark, § 31; Murphy v. Ireland, § 74; TV Vest, at § 60; and Centro Europa 7 S.R.L. and Di Stefano v. Italy, § 132, all cited above). In addition, the choices inherent in the use of the internet and social media mean that the information emerging therefrom does not have the same synchronicity or impact as broadcasted information. Notwithstanding therefore the significant development of the internet and social media in recent years, there is no evidence of a sufficiently serious shift in the respective influences of the new and of the broadcast media in the respondent State to undermine the need for special measures for the latter.
120. Secondly, the applicant contended that broadcasted advertising was no longer more expensive than other media and the Government contested this. The Court considers that it is sufficient to note, as did Ousley J in the High Court (paragraph 17 above), that broadcasted advertisements had an advantage of which advertisers and broadcasters were aware and for which advertisers would pay large sums of money, far beyond the reach of most NGOs who would wish to participate in the public debate.

http://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng?i=001-119244

so broadcast advertising is still more expensive so obviously more impactful therefore its justifies the broadcast ban being there and similar ban not being applied to the internet (somehow).

so that ruling was from 2013 some might say that more rapidly repeated info to your phone is more personal and more impactful?

demfad

expectationlost wrote: »

so propaganda (via supposed news) isn't new its just the speed?, I was researching the ban on political advertising reading about the political adveritsing ban and the challenges to it in the European courts, some suggest the internet means this ban should be overturned but a 2013 case CASE OF ANIMAL DEFENDERS INTERNATIONAL v. THE UNITED KINGDOM says http://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng?i=001-119244

so broadcast advertising is still more expensive so obviously more impactful therefore its justifies the broadcast ban being there and similar ban not being applied to the internet (somehow).

so that ruling was from 2013 some might say that more rapidly repeated info to your phone is more personal and more impactful?

This is not traditional advertising as such. It is creating a talking point (memo) and amplifying it on social media using bots and techniques to game the algorythms. The story becomes huge on SM, influencers on SM take notice, lawmakers on SM take notice. The traditional media whose journos are on twitter, now take more of their cues from twitter and perceive a huge story.
It is reported on Reuters etc. RTE and other channels take their cue from here.

Designed to target weaknesses on the system of how news becomes news. Poisoning the central well.

So effective it can change policy.

In this case Nunes creates a half baked story for Trump knowing that computational propaganda will blow it out of proportion. Trump, Wikileaks and Trump friendly media blow it up more. Now its all over all channels. So big that the protagonists can get away with releasing classified material to distort an ongoing investigation.

You need the infrastructure to do this ofcourse. The infrastructure used for this stunt was the same that was used for Trumps election win and to smaller extents in Brexit and other elections.

Its interesting because by all accounts one of the protagonists (Cambridge Analytica) will be involved in Ireland soon (8th amendment initially).

expectationlost

demfad wrote: »

This is not traditional advertising as such. It is creating a talking point (memo) and amplifying it on social media using bots and techniques to game the algorythms. The story becomes huge on SM, influencers on SM take notice, lawmakers on SM take notice. The traditional media whose journos are on twitter, now take more of their cues from twitter and perceive a huge story.
It is reported on Reuters etc. RTE and other channels take their cue from here.

Designed to target weaknesses on the system of how news becomes news. Poisoning the central well.

So effective it can change policy.

In this case Nunes creates a half baked story for Trump knowing that computational propaganda will blow it out of proportion. Trump, Wikileaks and Trump friendly media blow it up more. Now its all over all channels. So big that the protagonists can get away with releasing classified material to distort an ongoing investigation.

You need the infrastructure to do this ofcourse. The infrastructure used for this stunt was the same that was used for Trumps election win and to smaller extents in Brexit and other elections.

Its interesting because by all accounts one of the protagonists (Cambridge Analytica) will be involved in Ireland soon (8th amendment initially).

are you suggesting this wouldn't have become a big story without bots?

the structure used is the advertising funded news media owned by rich interests, thats not new, just the speed and spread.

demfad

expectationlost wrote: »

are you suggesting this wouldn't have become a big story without bots?

the structure used is the advertising funded news media owned by rich interests, thats not new, just the speed and spread.

It would most certainly would not have become a big story but for bots. In fact I am suggesting that Devin Nunes and co would not have created this memo if they were not certain that their computational propaganda could amplify its coverage the requisite amount.
The story is not promoted to this level due to advertising: It is promoted to this level because they were able to use computational propaganda techniques to game the SM algorithms.

It is further amplified by massive twitter accounts like wikileaks and Donald Trump. The MSM are obliged to take it up. The memo can not be refuted as it's not released yet.

So this campaign influenced decisions by lawmakers and a President.

The structure used was NOT that of paid advertising. Paid advertising played a part as they are obliged to cover big stories.
The lawmakers didn't shout 'release the memo' due to paid advertising media: rather this media reported lawmakers already shouting 'release the memo'

expectationlost

demfad wrote: »

It would most certainly would not have become a big story but for bots. In fact I am suggesting that Devin Nunes and co would not have created this memo if they were not certain that their computational propaganda could amplify its coverage the requisite amount.
The story is not promoted to this level due to advertising: It is promoted to this level because they were able to use computational propaganda techniques to game the SM algorithms.

It is further amplified by massive twitter accounts like wikileaks and Donald Trump. The MSM are obliged to take it up. The memo can not be refuted as it's not released yet.

So this campaign influenced decisions by lawmakers and a President.

The structure used was NOT that of paid advertising. Paid advertising played a part as they are obliged to cover big stories.
The lawmakers didn't shout 'release the memo' due to paid advertising media: rather this media reported lawmakers already shouting 'release the memo'

the memo has been released hasn't it?

who needs bots when you have fox news?

who needs computational propaganda when you just invite on some contraian and then you media can say they aren't creating the new they are just reporting sombody else saying it, theres always proxies used to get coverage.
this memo was created by Nunes, not the bots, I don't think he needed the bots in order to release the memo, he wrote in order for it to be released.

paid advertising news are obliged to cover big stories? they cover what they want and ignore what they want always have.

demfad

expectationlost wrote: »

the memo has been released hasn't it?

who needs bots when you have fox news?

who needs computational propaganda when you just invite on some contraian and then you media can say they aren't creating the new they are just reporting sombody else saying it, theres always proxies used to get coverage.
this memo was created by Nunes, not the bots, I don't think he needed the bots in order to release the memo, he wrote in order for it to be released.

paid advertising news are obliged to cover big stories? they cover what they want and ignore what they want always have.

Fox news alone could not have generated the massive interest surrounding this story which was generated around the #releasethememo hashtag.
This is what actually happenned: the article I linked shows how.

If you feel the article is misleading or incorrect can you please show where and how?

Saying who needs bots when you have Fox news means very little.
Fox news and indeed the WSJ are tools of this propaganda. But the size of it on twitter where journalists, influencers and finally lawmakers can be targetted is crucial. This is new.

Nunes needed the artificial mass inflation on SM to get at these people. Fox news alone could not influence enough to break protocol by releasing classified information.

The objective is not just to have the memo released: It is also to convince TRump's base that the election investigation is just another partisan hack.

Fox news have been trying this for a year with little success.
But after the memo the majority of conservatives believe that the FBI and DOJ are trying to delegitimize Trump.

expectationlost

demfad wrote: »

Fox news alone could not have generated the massive interest surrounding this story which was generated around the #releasethememo hashtag.
This is what actually happenned: the article I linked shows how.

If you feel the article is misleading or incorrect can you please show where and how?

Saying who needs bots when you have Fox news means very little.
Fox news and indeed the WSJ are tools of this propaganda. But the size of it on twitter where journalists, influencers and finally lawmakers can be targetted is crucial. This is new.

Nunes needed the artificial mass inflation on SM to get at these people. Fox news alone could not influence enough to break protocol by releasing classified information.

The objective is not just to have the memo released: It is also to convince TRump's base that the election investigation is just another partisan hack.

Fox news have been trying this for a year with little success.
But after the memo the majority of conservatives believe that the FBI and DOJ are trying to delegitimize Trump.

On the afternoon of January 18, a group of congressmen started tweeting about the Nunes FISA abuse memo. At 3:47 p.m., Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) went on FoxBusiness and gave an interview about the supposed memo.

and the FISA abuse talking point has been going on for a year or 2 atleast

as soon as it was mentioned it was meant for release, the bots and the researches are just inflating their own importance to suggest that they got the memo released the researchers are inflating their own importance to say that they have shown how it was the bots that got the memo released.

Journalists love covering controversial and wedge stuff thats not new.

Nunes is the chairman of the national intelligence committee he doesn't need bots to release pro-trump stuff just the backing of the GOP and Trump.

this article is esssentially a long winded advertisment for the research firm.

demfad

expectationlost wrote: »

and the FISA abuse talking point has been going on for a year or 2 atleast

as soon as it was mentioned it was meant for release, the bots and the researches are just inflating their own importance to suggest that they got the memo released the researchers are inflating their own importance to say that they have shown how it was the bots that got the memo released.

Journalists love covering controversial and wedge stuff thats not new.

Nunes is the chairman of the national intelligence committee he doesn't need bots to release pro-trump stuff just the backing of the GOP and Trump.

this article is esssentially a long winded advertisment for the research firm.

They are your opinions, but you haven't been able to substantiate them.

The effectiveness of trolls and bots to promote media talking points has been well documented with studies showing how actual stories on traditional media (many untrue) were born and amplified by trolls and bots until picked up by such.
Many British media actually quoted troll accounts as examples of what the 'man in the street' was thinking/saying during Brexit.
With the news that Cambridge Analytica will be oerating on this shore for teh repeal the 8th referendum, we can watch this at close quarters.

expectationlost

demfad wrote: »

They are your opinions, but you haven't been able to substantiate them.

The effectiveness of trolls and bots to promote media talking points has been well documented with studies showing how actual stories on traditional media (many untrue) were born and amplified by trolls and bots until picked up by such.
Many British media actually quoted troll accounts as examples of what the 'man in the street' was thinking/saying during Brexit.

I did substantiate them I quoted from the article with shows politicans were the first to make an issue of the memo on twitter and fox news.
...
lazy media have always been happy to pick up false clalims and run them

demfad

expectationlost wrote: »

I did substantiate them I quoted from the article with shows politicans were the first to make an issue of the memo on twitter and fox news.
...
lazy media have always been happy to pick up false clalims and run them

Politicians talk about all sorts of things on Fox news. Some of it is amplified computational propaganda some of it is not. A Republican lawmaker wrote the memo. The idea was for Trump supporting politicians to make an issue of it. But the memo contained de facto nothing. To suceed in its public release they needed a massive media campaign.
No politician mentioned: #releasethememo
That is not to say that they were not aware that there would be a massive coordinated online campaign about to kick off to amplify this to levels where it affected the behaviour of lawmakers with the release of sensitive data contrary to the advice of the FBI director and the DOJ.

This German site flag Russian troll activity and displayed this Hashtag trnding and top amongst their trolls as well as among US trolls and bots.

Look at this one from the time of US Gov shutdown:


Look at the site right now:


They are trending the hashtags #Obamagate and #Obamaknew to try and again divert attention attention. These hashtags are huge on FB and Twitter. Again Bots and Trolls are used to amplify this message, organic human use would render these hashtags tiny or non existant.

expectationlost

demfad wrote: »

Politicians talk about all sorts of things on Fox news. Some of it is amplified computational propaganda some of it is not. A Republican lawmaker wrote the memo. The idea was for Trump supporting politicians to make an issue of it. But the memo contained de facto nothing. To suceed in its public release they needed a massive media campaign.
No politician mentioned: #releasethememo
That is not to say that they were not aware that there would be a massive coordinated online campaign about to kick off to amplify this to levels where it affected the behaviour of lawmakers with the release of sensitive data contrary to the advice of the FBI director and the DOJ.

This German site flag Russian troll activity and displayed this Hashtag trnding and top amongst their trolls as well as among US trolls and bots.

Look at this one from the time of US Gov shutdown:


Look at the site right now:


They are trending the hashtags #Obamagate and #Obamaknew to try and again divert attention attention. These hashtags are huge on FB and Twitter. Again Bots and Trolls are used to amplify this message, organic human use would render these hashtags tiny or non existant.

the memo was written in order to be released, you don't have to have a hashtag for something to be real or acted upon

demfad

expectationlost wrote: »

the memo was written in order to be released, you don't have to have a hashtag for something to be real or acted upon

The Memo contains highly classified information on a person under investigation for potentially the most serious crimes against the United States. The director of the FBI himself strongly advised it should not be released. For this reason, a congressman writing such a secret memo is not reason enough for it being released. The allegations that the FBI didn't inform the FISA court that some evidence had been from opposition research was false (admitted by Nunes after).
The implication that this evidence was the only evidence was also absolutely false. So this memo was a twisting of facts. It was propaganda in order to muddy the waters.
On it's own it is binable. Even if he brings it to Fox news etc, its binable like all their other conspiracies. There was a difference this time.
The massive interest in the memo and it's contents was generated online using computational propaganda. As pointed out an 11 day all out campaign.
And it worked.
This is of interest because this is what will be coming to these shores soon.
We have the benefit of hindsight, if we wish to use it.

expectationlost

demfad wrote: »

The Memo contains highly classified information on a person under investigation for potentially the most serious crimes against the United States. The director of the FBI himself strongly advised it should not be released. For this reason, a congressman writing such a secret memo is not reason enough for it being released. The allegations that the FBI didn't inform the FISA court that some evidence had been from opposition research was false (admitted by Nunes after).
The implication that this evidence was the only evidence was also absolutely false. So this memo was a twisting of facts. It was propaganda in order to muddy the waters.
On it's own it is binable. Even if he brings it to Fox news etc, its binable like all their other conspiracies. There was a difference this time...

it wasn't Fox' conspiracy it was the GOPs and Trump let them release it

demfad

expectationlost wrote: »

it wasn't Fox' conspiracy it was the GOPs and Trump let them release it

You misunderstood the point. The conspiracy was Nunes. He is advocating the unprecedented release of sensitive data. This advocation could be interpreted as trying to obstruct the Mueller investigation. Thus Fox news covering the story is not enough: as i said they cover several conspiracy theories a day.
Remember the memo was nothing: It was a claim that the FBI fooled FISC to extend surveillance on Carter Page. They didn't, they informed them. (Nunes claimed after he 'missed' that footnote)

So how do you create a massive scandal when none exists?

That's where the #releasethememo hashtag came in. You make it a massive online story. He get all agreeable GOP politicians and media to claim the memo is the biggest thing since watergate and the US people need to see it.
When the furore is big enough, Nunes performs what must be done and sends it to Trump for release. It's released. Job done.
Impossible to achieve this without the noise created by computational propaganda.

It is relevant to Ireland because thsi is what will be coming here for teh repeal the 8th referendum and to try and pretend that 'Irexit' is something, is popular to force media to cover, and then politcians to discuss.

Irish media behaves like the extraordinary manipulation and exposure of US and UK media is something seperate to themselves and could not be achieved here. We have the benefit of hindsight, if we choose to use it.

expectationlost

demfad wrote: »

You misunderstood the point. The conspiracy was Nunes. He is advocating the unprecedented release of sensitive data. This advocation could be interpreted as trying to obstruct the Mueller investigation. Thus Fox news covering the story is not enough: as i said they cover several conspiracy theories a day.
Remember the memo was nothing: It was a claim that the FBI fooled FISC to extend surveillance on Carter Page. They didn't, they informed them. (Nunes claimed after he 'missed' that footnote)

So how do you create a massive scandal when none exists?

you get GOP reps to talk up the contents of the memo for weeks before its released