Thread by @MiekeEoyang

Good morning! Here on the west coast from #hewlettverify a talk on disinformation with @CraigSilverman. Thread to follow.

@CraigSilverman Starts with a story of Macedonian fan of @SenTedCruz who created a website called "USA Politics Today" to make advertising $, then his friends got into the gig.

See the story here: buzzfeednews.com/article/craigs…

@CraigSilverman @SenTedCruz But it wasn't just Macedonians, it was also Americans. See this story here: washingtonpost.com/national/for-t…

But Macedonians and Americans were actually working together!

buzzfeednews.com/article/craigs…

@CraigSilverman @SenTedCruz But on the internet, fake news never goes away.

Memes made by "USA Politics Today" in 2016 are getting shared online by accounts that follow QAnon even now.

@CraigSilverman @SenTedCruz Misinformation takes many forms.

It's global and across platforms, not just in the US. People in other countries see these misinformation efforts & replicate.

It feeds off polarization and human bias. Same stories with click-bait confirmation bias headlines aimed at both sides.

@CraigSilverman @SenTedCruz People using misinformation are trying to flood the zone with their point of view.

People care only so much for unbiased facts, they also want a sense of identity & belonging, which are reinforced by media.

@CraigSilverman @SenTedCruz Trolling operations are popping up all over the world.

Operators plan in semipublic/private fora, like 8chan.

People still buy/sell fake accounts for amplification and to seed content.

@CraigSilverman @SenTedCruz Not just about false or misleading content, but also about changing the conversation and drowning out messages that a group/party/government/campaign doesn't like.

@CraigSilverman @SenTedCruz Also, the fake accounts to game the algorithms to get things to trend and reach a wider audience and influence recommendation engines.

Ex. SmarterEveryDay on YouTube who gamed their filters. Then it gets in front of actual humans who then amplify.

@CraigSilverman @SenTedCruz Also, the disinformation campaigns target and exploit journalists to reach legitimate amplification -- even when debunking, the original content is still reported.

@CraigSilverman @SenTedCruz Also, leaks weaponize into conspiracy theories.

Ex. Podesta emails about food -> Comet Pizza -> PizzaGate ->
nytimes.com/2017/06/22/us/…

@CraigSilverman @SenTedCruz How to counter disinformation:
- identify where they're planning
- monitor key participants & networks
- collaborate to spot trends
- expose origins and tactics to build resilience in audience
- recognize journalists are targets and be strategic about what you report.