Unsealed FBI Doc Exposes Terrifying Depth of Russian Disinfo Scheme
newrepublic.com
New court documents reveal that Russia is keeping a very, very long list of influencers to spread its propaganda.

New court documents reveal that Russia is keeping a very, very long list of influencers to spread its propaganda.

The Russian disinformation plot revealed in a Justice Department indictment this week may just be the tip of the iceberg, according to newly unsealed court documents.

On Wednesday, the DOJ announced it would seize 32 internet domains linked to a larger Kremlin scheme to promote disinformation and influence the 2024 election. The Russian campaign, known as Doppelganger, uses AI-generated content to create “fake news” boosted through social media with the aim of electing Donald Trump.

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Of particular note, the documents released Wednesday included an affidavit that noted a Russian company is keeping a list of more than 2,800 influencers world wide, about one-fifth of whom are based in the United States, to monitor and potentially groom to spread Russian propaganda. The affidavit does not mention the full list of influencers, but is still a terrifying indicator of how deep the Russian plot to interfere in U.S. politics really goes.

  • TallonMetroid@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    4 months ago

    The affidavit does not mention the full list of influencers, but is still a terrifying indicator of how deep the Russian plot to interfere in U.S. politics really goes.

    Well, why not? Name and shame all of them. Normal political ads are required to tell you who paid for them (even if they only do it in the fine print). There’s no reason not to hold these schmucks to the same standard just because it’s TikTok vids or whatever instead of magazine or TV ads.

        • BeMoreCareful@lemmy.worldEnglish
          0·
          4 months ago

          I feel like they already got their money’s worth on interfering with elections.

          They nabbed up several former Soviet republics and then publicly humiliated the states with the 2016 American election.

          Say what you want about Putin, be he’s a helluva spy.

          • jaemo@sh.itjust.works
            0·
            4 months ago

            Say what you want about Putin, be he’s a helluva spy.

            He’s so good that when he got intel that Kiev would fall in 3 days, he didn’t bother to check the validity of that info and instead went on confidently to…not take Kiev at all.

            So: I’ll say what I want about Putin. He’s a monster, a liar, a thief, an unimaginative, uncreative leader, a terrible commander, and a shit spy. Putin lucked out on a saving roll. Period. Don’t elevate him any higher than the mud he walks on.

            • Serinus@lemmy.world
              1·
              3 months ago

              The 2015 propaganda campaign was a thing to watch though. I expected it to be more of a historical landmark by now. Instead, we’re still living it.

      • eatCasserole@lemmy.world
        0·
        3 months ago

        This is a list of people “to monitor and potentially groom”. You can’t exactly charge someone with “being monitored”.

        Not to say collaboration isn’t happening—it sounds like it absolutely is, but this is not the list of collaborators.

        • sramder@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1·
          3 months ago

          Fair point. In my defense I hit a paywall and just kind of gave up, did a bit of assuming there 😅