Expert: Bots are poised to wreak havoc in the 2018 midterm elections

[DonViejo]

Source: Yahoo News



David Knowles, Yahoo News•June 20, 2018

American democracy still has a glaring propaganda problem. Automated bot accounts that spread disinformation and sowed disgust and confusion among voters during the 2016 presidential election are poised to wreak havoc again in this year’s midterm elections, according to a leading expert.

“I think that it’s too late for 2018. I hate to be a pessimist,” Samuel Woolley, research director of the DigIntel Lab at the Institute for the Future, said in the inaugural episode of Yahoo News’ “Bots & Ballots” podcast. “It’s good that we’re seeing some action around this stuff, but I don’t think we have our arms around the problem in any significant way.”

Woolley has studied the rise of bot accounts and the “fake news” they generate for the past six years, focusing on how that propaganda affects U.S. elections.

“I can conclusively say that bots changed the flow of information during the 2016 election — yeah, absolutely, a hundred percent,” Woolley said. “These bots had an absolute effect upon the conversation in American politics. When you have the president of the United States retweeting or re-messaging or interacting with bot accounts, that affects public opinion. That affects communication.”



Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/expert-bots-poised-wreak-havoc-2018-midterm-elections-090048965.html

[beachbum bob]

1. Not fooling any democratic voter this time...

[lagomorph777]

2. Build bigger better badder BattleBots and overwhelm the RePutin droid army.

Can we not ?
Excuse me, is the DNC planning to let the bots operate unopposed?
I'm not joking.

[heaven05]

3. this just shows me

how stupid and misinformed many americans are. Hell, look at this current potus. Misinformed, stupid people voted for this potus POS.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

4. There is no administrative will to combat bots.

Donald Trump, Steve Bannon, Stephen Miller, loving the chaos.

[lagomorph777]

13. Those gullible enough to buy bot shit are already Trumpanzees

The rest of us have heard the truth and are not falling for it.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

16. The bots will raise hell here too, to split Dems

They'll even get into spirited arguments with each other, on issues like "principles" vs "identity". We'll get sucked in, just like before.

They're clever little bots.

[lagomorph777]

17. Yeah, let's start debating Hillary vs Bernie vs Jill Stein again.

So productive.

Please people, don't fall for that shit. Any thread you see on that topic is straight from Putin.

[Roy Rolling]

5. Maybe this?

Can we rebrand Russian bots as "immigrant bots"? That would put them on a fast track for action.

[pecosbob]

6. Blow up your TV

Throw away your paper
Turn off Twitter
Vote

[The Mouth]

7. Place the damned blame where it belongs

On the voter.

All this bullshit about 'bots' and 'fake news'.

A citizen of a democracy (or a Republic) is entirely responsible for their vote. Any vote, no matter who you are. No exceptions. No bullshit about 'I was misinformed', or 'I was lied to'.

YOU (and I) are the ONLY ones responsible for being informed and voting. If a person can't tell truth from lies then they are no better than someone who knowingly votes for evil.

It's funny, poll tests were originally used against POC, but if we had them now, if people had to actually understand who/what they were voting for the cons would be the ones screwed.

[pazzyanne]

8. The bots are already hard at work.

An evangelical friend sent me at least a half dozen questionable memes today. In fact checking, they fact checks either went nowhere, or the links went to a page that had no related information. She was also inundated with questionable postings in 2016. So it is happening in real time now.

[KPN]

9. "When you have the president of the United States retweeting or re-messaging or interacting

with bot accounts, that affects public opinion. That affects communication.”

That says it all right there!

We need new laws addressing this stuff -- especially elected officials passing fake shit along through tweets, etc.

We need to demand responsible use of social media from our elected officials (as well as the unelected like the asshole illegitimately occupying the WH).

[Achilleaze]

10. republicans creaming their jeans with joy as their russian BFFs

unleash a massive propaganda piss campaign to support Comrade Casino* and his KGOP republian cabal of cronies by attacking American democracy.

* aka republican Draft-Dodger-in-Chief

[noneof_theabove]

11. my pov...

African saying:
Everyone is ignorant, but choosing ignorance is stupidity. [In some cases my be criminal]

Mine:
Everyone has procrastinated, but to choose procrastination is complicity. [may be criminal]
Everyone has done a dastardly deed, to choose doing harm is evil. [may be criminal]
At some point all have told a white lie, to chose lying will lock the pearly gates. [may be criminal]
[for the pee-Resident & liar-in-chief the gates have been replaced by a wall.]

The real problem here is that the marketing droids have pushed computers, fondle slabs and phones on people with an IQ lower than room temperature.

Those are the people who were targeted and will be targets in the future.

[LanternWaste]

12. We shall know them by their words...

"This makes us look bad..."

"This doesn't help us..."

"Has anyone heard about this? Is it true? I look for it on Google and couldn't find anything. lol..."

"So if you disagree with A, that means you agree with B..."

etc.

[Initech]

14. We need to get ready for the onslaught.

Do *NOT* be afraid to hit that alert button if you see hate being spread. I have already reported hundreds of accounts, I will report hundreds more!

[kimbutgar]

15. I don't understand why Facebook, Twitter and other social media can't pick up

algorithms that come from Eastern Europe that are spreading the same message.

[Maxheader]

18. Propaganda , been going on a long time....

Watched on the tube some info on ww1. I think America initially
hesitated to enter either ww1 or ww2...It took some disinformation
from Britain to this country...by cutting the transatlantic cables from
all sources except for London. News favorable to keeping this country
aligned with the allies..was what we read...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_propaganda_during_World_War_I

[RhodeIslandOne]

19. Alert on all right-wing propaganda on Facebook, Twitter, etc