Everyone should read this report by @KrisGoldsmith85
on how enemies of democracy are using social media to impersonate veterans and spread disinfo. Please amplify. vva.org/trollreport/ Highlights below.
on how enemies of democracy are using social media to impersonate veterans and spread disinfo. Please amplify. vva.org/trollreport/ Highlights below.
Social media is an incredible tool to network and learn new things. I posted about the attacks on our veterans and military family and cited this article. 15 minutes later Kris's info was in my feed. voanews.com/usa/pentagon-c….
Being a suspicious mofo (now), my first stop was to make sure that the Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc. @VVAmerica was legit. It is. Congressionally chartered. republicans-veterans.house.gov/resources-for-…
EXEC SUMMARY: VVA's "two- year investigation, beginning in August 2017, has documented persistent, pervasive, and coordinated online targeting of American servicemembers, veterans, and their families by foreign entities who seek to disrupt American democracy."
READY. AIM. FIRE. Vets targeted by Russia's IRA "with at least 113 ads during and after the 2016 election. However, this represents but a tiny fraction of the Russian activity that targeted this community with divisive propaganda...."
It wasn't the ads: "organic politically divisive content (unpaid posts and comments) created by Russians have a far greater reach than the known paid ads and ... continue to be propagated and disseminated by foreign admins ... to spread hateful and politically divisive messages."
2018 FB tool shows where admins are located: "revealed that known Russian propaganda and similar politically divisive content that targets servicemembers and veterans is being spread by admins from at least 30 foreign countries, with concentrations in Eastern Europe and Vietnam."
The VVA was being impersonated by a foreign administered page who was using their logo and registered trademark. It was routing interactions through a website registered in Bulgaria. 
The fake VVA spurred interactions by running looped vid in the "facebook live" video. Live video was being given higher priority on FB.
The fake VVA doctored the fake live video with a call to use the "heart" and "angry face" emoticons, which then upped their score in the algorithm, and gained further access to those that engaged.
There is a direct link to the full report on the page cited above. This is the link I am using. It shows as locked, so you may have to start in the executive summary. vva.org/wp-content/upl…
The fake VVA engaged in the same kinds of provocation seen across FB in the run up to the election. Take a Knee and Blue Lives Matter included. (Welcome to WWIII!).
As one might expect, a hostile foreign entity using manipulative and deceptive strategies to build interactions ... massively built their interactions over the real organization that they were impersonating.
Facebook being Facebook, they would not do anything to stop it until higher profile media got involved.
And Facebook being Facebook, they lie about the specific and deny the larger info war on their platform.
Dear @usairforce @USArmy @usmarines @USNavy @DoD_IG @DeptVetAffairs there is no greater threat to our democracy than a direct foreign attack on veteran's minds.
Put this in the wrong place. But for lord's sake, DOD, protect our troops and our democracy.
These fake foreign imposters look authentic enough that they get picked up by legitimate, blue check accounts. (Sub lesson, official US Army accounts have no means to verify authentic accounts.)
When old accounts are shut down, new ones arise in their place. Also coming from Bulgaria or Ukraine.
HOLY F*CK: VVA was monitoring FB pages. Facebook purged some. The ones they shut down had over 32 MILLION FACEBOOK FOLLOWERS. All MilVet related.
Thank you for emphasizing this point. FB and other social media interest groups are specifically used to drive wedges through the american population.
Counterfeit Merch; Fake "Made in the USA" claims; immoral profiteering; racist tie ins ... because of course, this is war.
Another lost one. Twitter hates real threads.
The fake VVA was using content specifically identified by Mueller as coming from Russia's military disinformation operations.
If you are reading this, remember a key point. The Russians (and Chinese, Iranians, North Vietnamese, etc.) targeted EVERYONE, not just military, not just republicans. ALL OF US. Especially all sides of Hillary v. Sanders v. Trump. All of us still have ideas planted by RU.
The fake VVA poisoned the atmosphere by posting terrible rhetoric in the name of the real VVA. This is the very essence of driving wedges.
I have to jump off for a bit. PLEASE READ THE VVA'S REPORT. Please follow and support the authentic @VVAmerica. Please encourage our DOD and Congressional leaders to FIX THIS. vva.org/wp-content/upl…
@KrisGoldsmith85 @LouiseMensch @ninaandtito @911CORLEBRA777 @20committee @xtrixcyclex @CheriJacobus @TrueFactsStated Please amplify the Vietnam Veteran Association's report on social media troll campaigns. vva.org/wp-content/upl… Thread above.
@VVAmerica Twitter: This incredibly important tweet by the fully authentic @VVAmerica only has 134 retweets and 159 likes. FIX THIS.
@VVAmerica Researcher and Twitter friend @ushadrons also prepared this report, which has been shared with Congress but has not gotten much action. docs.google.com/document/d/14r…
@VVAmerica @ushadrons Mr. Goldsmith's compelling testimony before Congress. Hijacking our Heroes
If you dig this kind of thing, please follow. I try to post facts, truth and important commentary and to get just a little bit less far behind the trolls. We need the truth out there.
