
Are influence campaigns trolling your social media feeds? New research shows how citizens can know in real time.
Late last week, Twitter removed more than 1,600 accounts associated with influence efforts linked to Cuba, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Thailand. Earlier in the week, the Department of Homeland Security’s latest Homeland Threat Assessment found that “Russian influence actors will continue using overt and covert methods to aggravate social and racial tensions, undermine trust in U.S. authorities, stoke political resentment, and criticize politicians who Moscow views as anti-Russia.”
This was nothing new. Since early August — when U.S. intelligence officials warned that Russia was working via social media to boost President Trump’s chances in the 2020 presidential race — we’ve seen a steady stream of evidence about foreign interference in the election.
And the threat involves domestic influencers, as well. Last week, Facebook announced it had banned an Arizona-based marketing firm that was using fake social media accounts in its work for Turning Point Action, a conservative advocacy group.