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  1. Russian disinformation agents have backed a new internet troll farm in Ghana, including a network that sought on-the-ground activists in Charleston as recently as last month, two Clemson University troll hunters have found. The discovery reflects a notable shift in Russian cyber tactics — using proxies in western Africa and elsewhere to inflame American discourse, said Darren Linvill, a Clemson professor of education. “It’s simple outsourcing.” The Ghana network’s effort to hire activists in Charleston is a reminder of how disinformation tentacles can reach deep into U.S. cities.  The Clemson professors discovered the Charleston connection in February when they stumbled on a social media post from the suspect Ghana network. The group said it was seeking a “chapter coordinator” in South Carolina to push issues similar to the Black Lives Matter movement. That revelation follows a Post and Courier investigation earlier this year that revealed how a bogus Russian-backed group, "Black Matters US," tried to stage a divisive rally in Charleston in 2016 on the anniversary of the Emanuel AME Church shoo.ting.  The Ghana operation “tells me that they’re following the same playbook they used in 2016,” Linvill said. “They’re working in the same communities online and in the real world.” In 2017, Linvill and Patrick Warren, a Clemson economics professor, compiled a database of more than 3 million Russian troll tweets, and later expanded it to 9 million. At the time, it was among the most comprehensive troves of Russian troll activity available. Many of these Russian troll accounts were designed to spread inflammatory left-leaning, pro-Bernie Sanders messages, while others amplified right-wing and pro-Donald Trump posts, Linvill and Warren found. Whether right-wing or left-wing trolls, the Russians’ overarching goal was to inflame American discourse and sow chaos, sapping the country’s strength. The Mueller report revealed that the Russian offensive to disrupt the 2016 elections began in 2014 with an aim to “sow discord” and evolved into a concerted attempt to help Trump. Some of it relied on old-fashioned boots on the ground. Two operatives, Aleksandra Krylova and Anna Bogacheva, travelled as tourists through at least nine states over about two weeks in June 2014 to collect intelligence for their operations. They prepared “evacuation scenarios” in case their cover was blown. This was combined with exploiting the anonymous, borderless world of social media, where agents of chaos thrive. The Internet Research Agency, a “troll farm” based in nondescript offices at 55 Savushkina Street St Petersburg, was operating through Russian shell companies. Russians posed as political and social active Americans. They created social media pages and groups, and bought political adverts such as “Donald wants to defeat terrorism ... Hillary wants to sponsor it”. They relied on identity theft, using the social security numbers, home addresses and birth dates of Americans without their knowledge. They set up fake bank accounts linked to PayPal accounts. Today Trump still refuses to criticize Putin, or even acknowledge that Moscow meddled in our  elections, and is continuing to meddle in our elections today. His refusal to do so is either motivated by fear, or a conscientious and wilful  betrayal of his oath of office, and the betrayal of America.
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  2. Trump still refuses to criticize Putin, or even acknowledge that Moscow meddled in our  elections, and is continuing to meddle in our elections today. His refusal to do so is either motivated by fear, or a conscientious and wilful  betrayal of his oath of office, and the betrayal of America. A newly discovered Russian-led network of professional trolls was being outsourced to Ghanaian and Nigerian operatives, according to Facebook and Twitter, who removed the network’s accounts. The network was small: just 49 Facebook accounts, 85 Instagram accounts and 71 Twitter accounts in question. But it marks the first time that a Russian information operation targeting the US has been found to be run from Africa. Nathaniel Gleicher, Facebook’s head of security policy, said the company believes it was such a small network because it was disrupted in the early stages of building its audience. It was, Gleicher said, “operated by local nationals – some wittingly and some unwittingly – in Ghana and Nigeria on behalf of individuals in Russia. “The people behind this network engaged in a number of deceptive tactics, including the use of fake accounts … to manage pages posing as non-government organisations or personal blogs, and post in groups,” Gleicher added. The troll's objectives were to post content that would grow their audience, while also inflaming contemporary American divides. “Although the people behind this activity attempted to conceal their purpose and coordination, our investigation found links to EBLA, an NGO in Ghana, and individuals associated with past activity by the Russian InternetResearch Agency (IRA),” Gleicher said. The Twitter accounts shared many similar traits. But an archive of the messages posted by the fake accounts, shared by Twitter, offers extra insight into how Russian information actors are exploiting the coronavirus pandemic for their own ends. Most of the tweets simply reflect an urge to jump on popular topics to gain more followers, a reflection of how early the network was discovered. “These 71 removed accounts, operating out of Ghana and Nigeria and which we can reliably associate with Russia, attempted to sow discord by engaging in conversations about social issues, like race and civil rights,” said Twitter’s safety team in a statement. The Russians posed as a grassroots group, "Black Matters US". In February 2017, a Russian troll using the persona "Black Fist" even hired a self-defence instructor in New York to give classes to black Americans, Mueller reported. The Mueller report revealed that the Russian offensive to disrupt the 2016 elections began in 2014 with an aim to “sow discord” and evolved into a concerted attempt to help Trump. Some of it relied on old-fashioned boots on the ground. Two operatives, Aleksandra Krylova and Anna Bogacheva, travelled as tourists through at least nine states over about two weeks in June 2014 to collect intelligence for their operations. They prepared “evacuation scenarios” in case their cover was blown. This was combined with exploiting the anonymous, borderless world of social media, where agents of chaos thrive. The Internet Research Agency, a “troll farm” based in nondescript offices at 55 Savushkina Street St Petersburg, was operating through Russian shell companies. Russians posed as political and social active Americans. They created social media pages and groups, and bought political adverts such as “Donald wants to defeat terrorism ... Hillary wants to sponsor it”. They relied on identity theft, using the social security numbers, home addresses and birth dates of Americans without their knowledge. They set up fake bank accounts linked to PayPal accounts.
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