this post was submitted on 03 Aug 2024
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The officials say Russia intends to use social media to manipulate US public opinion in favor of Trump

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[–] WatDabney@sopuli.xyz 84 points 3 months ago (2 children)

No shit?

Of course Russia wants Trump - he's a cowering wretch who's only barely managed to stop short of publicly falling to his knees and licking Putin's shoes.

[–] Lucidlethargy@sh.itjust.works 12 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Yeah, he may not have licked his shoes yet, but he's been gargling Putin's balls for at least 7 years now.

[–] InternetUser2012@lemmy.today 1 points 3 months ago

That half a billion in loans isn't going to pay itself

[–] teamevil@lemmy.world 1 points 3 months ago

Hang on you don't know what happened to that meeting that he had with pootie poo and himself only..

[–] N0body@lemmy.dbzer0.com 57 points 3 months ago (4 children)

At this point, it’s becoming a cute underdog story. Poor Russia is still losing a war they thought would be over in three days two and a half years ago. Now, they’re breaking out the Facebook and Twitter bots to take over the election like it’s still 2016.

Keep flexing as though you’re still a “superpower,” little buddy. In a few years, we’ll be nostalgic for when you were a real adversary. Again.

[–] crawancon@lemm.ee 35 points 3 months ago

you and I may laugh but they still have a majority of the gop by the balls.

[–] drbluefall@toast.ooo 18 points 3 months ago

As much as it is very funny, it's still a threat that should be taken seriously.

Stay vigilant, lads. Be watchful for any bots trying to throw a wrench into the works.

[–] Pilferjinx@lemmy.world 3 points 3 months ago (1 children)

To be fair, without the US ukraine would crumble. I don't know if all of Europe's support could hold back Russia. Russia has adapted significantly during this war and their propaganda and IT efforts are still top notch.

[–] WanderingVentra@lemm.ee 3 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

Even if they win, it's still a multi-year war that everybody expected to be like a week long invasion at most. You've got to give the credit for that. And that's with all their effort. I doubt they can manipulate the US again while doing that, especially now that we're on the look out for their social media tactics again.

[–] Pilferjinx@lemmy.world 2 points 3 months ago

They certainly don't have the resources to spare as they once did before the full scale invasion. And I'm rooting for ukraine, their extinction would be a travesty.

[–] Katrisia@lemm.ee 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Have you watched the movie Network (1976)? I feel like Russia is in the position of "the Arabs" right now (and I don't say more in case you haven't watched it).

[–] N0body@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 3 months ago

Fantastic movie, but I watched it so long ago I barely remember it.

[–] Etterra@lemmy.world 44 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Just like last time, and the time before that.

[–] Gradually_Adjusting@lemmy.world 9 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Putin's fear of "colour revolutions" and paranoia about America aiming for regime change in Russia have led him to try and do this to us.

[–] gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works 5 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Tbh I am coming around to the belief that we should make a concerted but covert-as-possible effort at a Russian regime change. Though it’s absolutely a strategy best left to the history books, in this particular case, they’ve been trying to do it to us (and succeeded in 2016!!!) for decades, and turnabout is fair play.

[–] Gradually_Adjusting@lemmy.world 5 points 3 months ago (1 children)

If we don't want our children dying in the Baltics in fifteen years, we'd better hope the regime changes

[–] gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works 3 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Yeah, and I’m saying that since we got so much practice at it in South America when we were drunk on the Cold War, maybe it’s time to put those skills to use against an actual goddamn adversary which is posing a clear and present danger to us and large swaths of the world instead of sCaRy sOCiALiSt eLEctEd GovErNmEntS

[–] Gradually_Adjusting@lemmy.world 2 points 3 months ago

Success at direct regime change has been, shall we say, elusive. I'd rather we keep making Ukraine and NATO increasingly muscular, while also keep rebuilding the state department. Trump really gutted it, you may recall, which I'm sure was music to Putin's ears.

[–] Etterra@lemmy.world 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

You're presuming that they actually have a fair election process in Russia. They do not. No amount of tampering will change the outcome. We could try to rabbel rouse, but our history of doing that in other countries shows a tendency for it to backfire. I mean the CIA has enough trouble getting shit done in South and Central America, much less Russia.

I am absolutely not presuming that. Regime change can happen a lot of ways.

[–] indomara@lemmy.world 37 points 3 months ago

https://blogs.microsoft.com/wp-content/uploads/prod/sites/5/2024/04/MTAC-Report-Elections-Report-Nation-states-engage-in-US-focused-influence-operations-ahead-of-US-presidential-election-04172024.pdf

This is public knowledge and has been tracked for years, if you follow an outlandish article to its source, and the source before that, you end up on one of thousands of normal sounding small town news websites that just happen to be registered to people with very Russian sounding names.

The goal is to spit out a somewhat believable lie, then wait for it to be posted about on some blog, then someone else copies it from there and posts it elsewhere, then the gossip mags pick it up and before long it is "news".

https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/09/16/1035851/facebook-troll-farms-report-us-2020-election/

19 of the top 20 Christian Facebook groups are run by Eastern European troll farms.

[–] not_that_guy05@lemmy.world 34 points 3 months ago (4 children)

Wait Fox News is reporting this? WTF. Did they just change stance?

[–] Zaktor@sopuli.xyz 12 points 3 months ago

I can only imagine this is intended to improve the perception of Russia among their audience.

[–] Marin_Rider@aussie.zone 10 points 3 months ago

the writings on the wall. Trump has never faced an opponent like Harris. even the cucks in the media can see it. rats jumping to pretend to be behind the winning side

[–] Phoenixbouncing@lemmy.world 8 points 3 months ago

Honestly, Fox have been putting distance between themselves and Trump for a little while.

They can see he's nuts and also that Team trump means risking jail time.

Add to the fact that the election is now a toss up, and being seen as not R enough for Trump is a lesser evil than getting dragged through the courts on treason charges.

Doesn't mean that they've changed their heart, just that the rats know when to abandon ship.

[–] SqueakyBeaver@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 3 months ago (1 children)

They probably spun (or will spin) it to mean that the "crooked Joe Biden's" administration will persecute Trump at all costs and "invalidate his future win"

[–] Yawweee877h444@lemmy.world 22 points 3 months ago

And so is Elon Musk. Coincidence?

[–] Drusas@kbin.run 19 points 3 months ago

Just like last year. And the year before that. And the year before that.

[–] Hobbes_Dent@lemmy.world 13 points 3 months ago

Someone get JD I wanna talk about surprised Pikachu.

[–] kubica@fedia.io 11 points 3 months ago

Daily reminder.

[–] OlinOfTheHillPeople@lemmy.world 10 points 3 months ago (1 children)

The media-bias bot is conveniently missing for this Fox News article...

[–] P00ptart@lemmy.world 7 points 3 months ago

Do you think that's really necessary? We all know they're an entertainment company.

[–] Zier@fedia.io 8 points 3 months ago

There is nothing that putin's deranged government could do or say to get me to vote for fat donnie or any republican, ever.