Twitter Bars Tactics Used by 'Bots' to Spread False Stories
7 years, 1 month ago

Twitter Bars Tactics Used by 'Bots' to Spread False Stories

News 18  

Twitter said on Wednesday it would no longer allow people to post identical messages from multiple accounts, cracking down on a tactic that Russian agents and others have allegedly used to make tweets or topics go viral. The San Francisco-based social network also said it would not allow people to use software to simultaneously perform other actions such as liking or retweeting from multiple accounts. Posting identical messages to multiple accounts, or simultaneously retweeting or liking a message from multiple accounts, could help vault something into Twitter’s trending list, giving a false impression of how viral it is among real people. Another company, privately held online publisher Medium, recently removed accounts belonging to far-right U.S. commentators including Mike Cernovich, who said on his Twitter account on Wednesday that Medium was acting unlawfully.

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History of this topic

After Trump's victory, U.S. election falsehoods shift left
4 months, 1 week ago

After Trump's victory, U.S. election falsehoods shift left

Raw Story  

Right-wing falsehoods about voter fraud fell off a cliff after Donald Trump's victory in the U.S. election, but American liberals took a page from their playbook to push wild conspiracy theories that have fueled doubt about the democratic process. "What we're seeing now is an uptick in election fraud claims from the left, particularly in the days following Election Day …

Misinformation fears mount over second Trump term
4 months, 2 weeks ago

Misinformation fears mount over second Trump term

Raw Story  

Donald Trump's election victory paves the way for a fresh wave of misinformation, not only around politics but also on vaccines and climate, with his expected cabinet picks ready to challenge the scientific community. "The problem of misinformation and disinformation is the worst it's ever been," said Bill Adair, a Duke University professor who founded the fact-checking site PolitiFact and …

China is pushing divisive political messages online using fake U.S. voters
6 months, 3 weeks ago

China is pushing divisive political messages online using fake U.S. voters

NPR  

China is pushing divisive political messages online using fake U.S. voters toggle caption Ezra Acayan/Getty Images A long-running Chinese influence operation is posing as American voters on social media in an attempt to exacerbate social divisions ahead of the 2024 presidential election, according to a new report from the research company Graphika. Sponsor Message The group of fake accounts Graphika …

Conspiracy theories spread wildly after the first assassination attempt on a US president in the social media age
8 months, 1 week ago

Conspiracy theories spread wildly after the first assassination attempt on a US president in the social media age

CNN  

CNN — Saturday’s shooting at a Donald Trump rally was the first assassination attempt of a US presidential candidate in the age of social media – and the former president had barely been hit before the internet was abuzz with all sorts of unsubstantiated explanations for what had, or had not, occurred. Conspiracy theories spread wildly Almost immediately after Trump …

US intel reveals Russia plans to meddle in 2024 election
8 months, 2 weeks ago

US intel reveals Russia plans to meddle in 2024 election

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Russia will attempt to influence the 2024 US presidential election …

US claims to bust ‘Russian bot farm’ spreading propaganda on X
8 months, 2 weeks ago

US claims to bust ‘Russian bot farm’ spreading propaganda on X

The Independent  

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. An investigation conducted by the DOJ, the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security and police in the Netherlands …

Ten bot-like X accounts having ‘oversized influence’ on General Election
8 months, 3 weeks ago

Ten bot-like X accounts having ‘oversized influence’ on General Election

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A new study has found that posts from 10 “bot-like” X …

Politics served with concise social media content
10 months, 1 week ago

Politics served with concise social media content

The Hindu  

The nature of information dissemination is changing rapidly and India is not immune to these sweeping changes. In India, growing social media use in the vernacular languages, combined with a largely unregulated digital space and a highly competitive, polarised political environment, necessitates vigilance to manage disruptive misinformation. This decline is mirrored in the popularity of concise social media content, i.e., …

Anonymous users are dominating right-wing discussions online. They also spread false information
11 months, 3 weeks ago

Anonymous users are dominating right-wing discussions online. They also spread false information

Associated Press  

Follow live: Updates from AP’s coverage of the presidential election. NEW YORK — The reposts and expressions of shock from public figures followed quickly after a user on the social platform X who uses a pseudonym claimed that a government website had revealed “skyrocketing” rates of voters registering without a photo ID in three states this year — two of …

Anonymous users dominate right-wing discussions online and spread false information
11 months, 3 weeks ago

Anonymous users dominate right-wing discussions online and spread false information

LA Times  

The X logo is shown on a computer screen in Belgrade, Serbia. The reposts and expressions of shock from public figures followed quickly after a user on the social platform X who uses a pseudonym falsely claimed that a government website had revealed “skyrocketing” rates of voters registering without a photo ID in three states this year — two of …

Twitter Warned By EU Over Disinformation, Favouring Russia Agenda
1 year, 11 months ago

Twitter Warned By EU Over Disinformation, Favouring Russia Agenda

ABP News  

According to a recent tweet by Vera Jourova, Vice-President for Values and Transparency at the EU, the EU has issued a warning to Elon Musk's Twitter over the spread of disinformation and promotion of the Kremlin agenda. Jourova expressed her concern that Twitter's policies have made the digital information space unsafe and susceptible to malicious influence from authoritarian governments. Jourova …

Thousands of pro-Trump bots are attacking DeSantis and Haley on Twitter
2 years ago

Thousands of pro-Trump bots are attacking DeSantis and Haley on Twitter

LA Times  

Tens of thousands of fake Twitter accounts have been created to support former President Trump and attack critics and potential rivals such as former South Carolina Gov. Over the last 11 months, someone created thousands of fake automated Twitter accounts — perhaps hundreds of thousands of them — to offer a stream of praise for former President Trump. While the …

Some top Instagram influencers found to be using Russian bots to boost reach
2 years ago

Some top Instagram influencers found to be using Russian bots to boost reach

The Hindu  

Top Instagram profiles with up to 40 million followers were found to be allegedly using Russian bots to boost their presence on the image-sharing platform. Accounts associated with the music industry, graphic artistry, fashion modelling, dance studios, events venues, health and beauty, and fitness were also found to be using bot accounts to inflate their reach, a report from Cybernews …

Opinion: Fake News Is Traveling Faster Than True Stories
2 years, 1 month ago

Opinion: Fake News Is Traveling Faster Than True Stories

Huff Post  

Ever since social media became one of the chief methods of propagating information, we’ve had to parse out what’s real and what’s propagandistic hogwash. But that overload is no excuse to get buckwild with the “share” button based on the headline of a story that you didn’t read or to immediately froth at the mouth in rage at a tweet …

Fake Trump, Bush, Tesla storm Twitter after verification dropped
2 years, 4 months ago

Fake Trump, Bush, Tesla storm Twitter after verification dropped

Al Jazeera  

Fake Twitter accounts explode across the platform after Elon Musk scraps verification policies. Fake Twitter accounts have exploded across the platform after new owner Elon Musk scrapped the site’s verification policies as trolls impersonate famous figures and companies including the billionaire’s carmaker Tesla. The flood of impersonator accounts, including fake profiles for former United States President George W Bush and …

Twitter slow to act on misleading U.S. election content, experts say
2 years, 4 months ago

Twitter slow to act on misleading U.S. election content, experts say

The Hindu  

Election experts reported the spread of new falsehoods across Twitter and other social media services on Tuesday as Americans voted in midterm elections, four days after Twitter Inc. fired half its staff and new owner Elon Musk tweeted a recommendation to vote for Republican candidates. The nonpartisan watchdog group Common Cause, which monitors social media for voter suppression efforts, said …

Is Musk’s Twitter ready for a surge in US midterm misinformation?
2 years, 4 months ago

Is Musk’s Twitter ready for a surge in US midterm misinformation?

Al Jazeera  

Layoffs at Twitter have already led to a ‘big slowdown’ in its responses to tweets spreading false information. On Tuesday morning, misleading posts continued to spread on Twitter and Meta Platforms Inc’s Facebook that voting machine glitches were evidence of vote tampering and that if results were finalised by the end of the day, it meant the election was fraudulent, …

Social media platforms have done ‘half-measures’ to root out election disinformation
2 years, 5 months ago

Social media platforms have done ‘half-measures’ to root out election disinformation

LA Times  

Baseless claims about election fraud continue to flourish on popular internet platforms ahead of the midterms, despite what the companies say have been efforts to contain them. A Facebook search for the words “election fraud” first delivers an article claiming that workers at a Pennsylvania children’s museum are brainwashing children so they’ll accept stolen elections. While platforms like Twitter, TikTok, …

Social media platforms brace for midterm elections mayhem
2 years, 5 months ago

Social media platforms brace for midterm elections mayhem

Associated Press  

A Facebook search for the words “election fraud” first delivers an article claiming that workers at a Pennsylvania children’s museum are brainwashing children so they’ll accept stolen elections. While platforms like Twitter, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube say they’ve expanded their work to detect and stop harmful claims that could suppress the vote or even lead to violent confrontations, a review …

Social media platforms brace for U.S. midterm elections mayhem
2 years, 5 months ago

Social media platforms brace for U.S. midterm elections mayhem

The Hindu  

A Facebook search for the words “election fraud” first delivers an article claiming that workers at a Pennsylvania children's museum are brainwashing children so they'll accept stolen elections. While platforms like Twitter, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube say they've expanded their work to detect and stop harmful claims that could suppress the vote or even lead to violent confrontations, a review …

Social media platforms brace for midterm elections mayhem
2 years, 5 months ago

Social media platforms brace for midterm elections mayhem

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A Facebook search for the words “election fraud” first delivers …

Social media platforms brace for midterm elections mayhem
2 years, 5 months ago

Social media platforms brace for midterm elections mayhem

Al Jazeera  

Misinformation about voting and elections abounds on social media despite promises by tech companies to curb these. A Facebook search for the words “election fraud” first delivers an article claiming that workers at a Pennsylvania children’s museum are brainwashing children so they will accept stolen elections. While platforms like Twitter, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube say they have expanded their work …

Bot Hunting Is All About the Vibes
55 years, 2 months ago

Bot Hunting Is All About the Vibes

Wired  

Christopher Bouzy is trying to stay ahead of the bots. As the person behind Bot Sentinel, a popular bot-detection system, he and his team continuously update their machine learning models out of fear that they will get “stale.” The task? Sorting 3.2 million tweets from suspended accounts into two folders: “Bot” or “Not.” To detect bots, Bot Sentinel’s models must …

Twitter put ads next to tweets sharing images of child sexual abuse
2 years, 5 months ago

Twitter put ads next to tweets sharing images of child sexual abuse

The Independent  

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “Either Twitter is going to fix this, or we’ll fix it by any means we can, which …

Meta, Twitter bust ‘deceptive’ pro-US influence campaign: report
2 years, 7 months ago

Meta, Twitter bust ‘deceptive’ pro-US influence campaign: report

Al Jazeera  

Fake accounts promoted pro-Western narratives while trying to discredit China, Russia and Iran, researchers say. Facebook, Instagram and Twitter disrupted pro-United States covert influence operations that used “deceptive tactics” to shape opinion in Central Asia and the Middle East, according to a report by internet researchers. “These posts primarily focused on US support for central Asian countries and their people, …

Twitter Is Removing 1 Million Spam Accounts a Day
2 years, 8 months ago

Twitter Is Removing 1 Million Spam Accounts a Day

News 18  

Twitter said it removes 1 million spam accounts each day in a call with executives Thursday during a briefing that aimed to shed more light on the company's fake and bot accounts as it tussles with Elon Musk over spam bots. The Tesla CEO, who has offered to buy Twitter for $44 billion, has threatened to walk away from the …

Twitter says it removes over 1 million spam accounts each day
2 years, 8 months ago

Twitter says it removes over 1 million spam accounts each day

The Hindu  

Twitter removes more than 1 million spam accounts each day, executives told reporters in a briefing on Thursday, providing new insight into efforts to reduce harmful automated bots as billionaire Elon Musk has demanded more details from the social media company. The briefing comes after Musk threatened to halt a $44 billion deal to purchase Twitter unless the company showed …

Elon Musk deal ‘in danger’: Here’s what Twitter is doing to save it
2 years, 8 months ago

Elon Musk deal ‘in danger’: Here’s what Twitter is doing to save it

Live Mint  

Twitter has said that it removes 1 million spam accounts each day. The company said during a call with executives in a briefing that aimed to shed more light on the company's fake and bot accounts as it tussles with Elon Musk over “spam bots.” The Tesla CEO, who had offered to buy Twitter for $44 billion, has threatened to …

Twitter removes 1 million 'spam accounts' each day
2 years, 8 months ago

Twitter removes 1 million 'spam accounts' each day

India TV News  

Highlights Twitter said it removes 1 million spam accounts each day in a call with executives on Thursday Twitter said on call that spam accounts represent well below 5% of its active user base each quarter Fake social media accounts have been problematic for years including on Twitter Twitter news : Twitter said it removes 1 million spam accounts each …

Twitter says it removes 1 million spam accounts a day
2 years, 8 months ago

Twitter says it removes 1 million spam accounts a day

Associated Press  

Twitter said it removes 1 million spam accounts each day in a call with executives Thursday during a briefing that aimed to shed more light on the company’s fake and bot accounts as it tussles with Elon Musk over “spam bots.” The Tesla CEO, who has offered to buy Twitter for $44 billion, has threatened to walk away from the …

Twitter deletes 1 million fake accounts every day, execs reveal
2 years, 8 months ago

Twitter deletes 1 million fake accounts every day, execs reveal

The Independent  

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Twitter removes over 1 million bots every day as part of a major …

Twitter launches new misinformation policy ahead of Elon Musk’s ‘free speech’ takeover
2 years, 10 months ago

Twitter launches new misinformation policy ahead of Elon Musk’s ‘free speech’ takeover

The Independent  

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Twitter has unveiled a new crisis misinformation policy, making permanent the temporary measures …

Twitter’s new crisis misinformation policy: All you need to know
2 years, 10 months ago

Twitter’s new crisis misinformation policy: All you need to know

Al Jazeera  

Twitter has announced a new plan to fight false claims in times of crisis, including war, health emergencies, and big natural disasters. Twitter has decided to launch a new policy that aims to step up its fight against misinformation and the spread of false allegations on the social media platform during times of crisis. Under the new policy, Twitter will …

New Twitter policy aims to pierce fog of war misinformation
2 years, 10 months ago

New Twitter policy aims to pierce fog of war misinformation

Associated Press  

SAN FRANCISCO — Twitter is stepping up its fight against misinformation with a new policy cracking down on posts that spread potentially dangerous false stories. Under its new “crisis misinformation policy,” Twitter will also add warning labels to debunked claims about ongoing humanitarian crises, the San Francisco-based company said. But it could also clash with the views of Tesla billionaire …

Twitter aims to crack down on misinformation, including misleading posts about Ukraine
2 years, 10 months ago

Twitter aims to crack down on misinformation, including misleading posts about Ukraine

NPR  

Twitter aims to crack down on misinformation, including misleading posts about Ukraine Enlarge this image toggle caption Matt Rourke/AP Matt Rourke/AP SAN FRANCISCO — Twitter is stepping up its fight against misinformation with a new policy cracking down on posts that spread potentially dangerous false stories. Sponsor Message Under its new "crisis misinformation policy," Twitter will also add warning labels …

Elon Musk says he would reverse Twitter’s ban of former President Trump
2 years, 10 months ago

Elon Musk says he would reverse Twitter’s ban of former President Trump

LA Times  

Elon Musk said he would allow President Trump to return to Twitter if the Tesla chief executive takes ownership of the company, reversing the former president’s January 2021 suspension over his incendiary tweets surrounding the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. While Twitter permanently banned Trump within two days of the Jan. 6 insurrection, Facebook moved to suspend Trump’s …

Bots continue to leverage pro-Putin hashtags despite Twitter crackdown
3 years ago

Bots continue to leverage pro-Putin hashtags despite Twitter crackdown

India Today  

Discussions about Russian President Vladimir Putin on social media witnessed a sudden spike with the invasion of Ukraine on February 24. According to Marc Owen Jones, Qatar-based disinformation expert who had previously exposed state- "The bot type cluster seem to be accounts offering products, laptops etc, jumping on the hashtag to promote their wares. I analysed around 20,000 Twitter interactions …

Twitters Adds Labels To Tweets Containing Content From Russian State News Sites
3 years ago

Twitters Adds Labels To Tweets Containing Content From Russian State News Sites

ABP News  

New Delhi: After posting tips for users on how to keep their accounts safe amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Twitter has now announced it will label all tweets that contain content from Russian state-affiliated media websites, the media has reported. According to Yoel Roth, Twitter's Head of Site Integrity, the platform would start labeling links to Russian state-affiliated news sites, such …

​Trump’s Truth Social shouldn't be trusted with users' info after disastrous launch: privacy expert
3 years, 1 month ago

​Trump’s Truth Social shouldn't be trusted with users' info after disastrous launch: privacy expert

Raw Story  

The "disastrous launch" of former president Donald Trump's social media app — Truth Social — shows it shouldn't be trusted with people's private information, according to one expert. “The basic thing they needed to actually get right to get someone in the door, they couldn’t get right,” privacy researcher Bill Fitzgerald told the Washington Post, adding the “ineptitude of the …

Hackers use hacked Twitter accounts to target users with phishing attacks
3 years, 2 months ago

Hackers use hacked Twitter accounts to target users with phishing attacks

Op India  

Twitter account hacking has, of late, become a routine occurrence. The user shared screenshots of the Direct Message he has received from an account that was presumably hacked and also shared the profile details of a verified account that had gotten hacked after the user had fallen into the trap of the hackers and entered credentials of his account using …

Twitter Convenes Team to Monitor Harmful Content in Prep for Capitol Riots Anniversary
3 years, 2 months ago

Twitter Convenes Team to Monitor Harmful Content in Prep for Capitol Riots Anniversary

News 18  

Ahead of the one-year anniversary of the storming of the US Capitol, Twitter Inc convened a team to prepare the social networking site to address any harmful content associated with the event, the company told Reuters on Tuesday. The company said the effort expands upon its work to monitor the platform around major global events, and added it will continue …

Harry and Meghan targeted by hate campaign fueled by Twitter’s algorithm, report finds
3 years, 5 months ago

Harry and Meghan targeted by hate campaign fueled by Twitter’s algorithm, report finds

The Independent  

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about …

Twitter finds its algorithms amplify the political right
3 years, 5 months ago

Twitter finds its algorithms amplify the political right

The Hindu  

Twitter has found that tweets posted by accounts from political rights receive more algorithmic amplification than the political left. The first part of an internal study examined tweets from elected officials and news outlets in seven countries including Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Right-leaning news outlets saw greater algorithmic amplification on Twitter compared …

Everything we know about Trump’s new social network
3 years, 5 months ago

Everything we know about Trump’s new social network

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. But within hours of its announcement on Wednesday, hackers had uncovered a publicly accessible …

Opinion: Facebook’s alarming plan for news feeds
3 years, 6 months ago

Opinion: Facebook’s alarming plan for news feeds

CNN  

Editor’s Note: Kara Alaimo, an associate professor of public relations at Hofstra University, is the author of “Pitch, Tweet, or Engage on the Street: How to Practice Global Public Relations and Strategic Communication.” She was spokeswoman for international affairs in the Treasury Department during the Obama administration. According to Facebook’s own figures, a campaign by Russia to spread disinformation around …

Trump Is No Longer Tweeting, But Online Disinformation Isn't Going Away
4 years ago

Trump Is No Longer Tweeting, But Online Disinformation Isn't Going Away

NPR  

Trump Is No Longer Tweeting, But Online Disinformation Isn't Going Away Enlarge this image toggle caption Jeremy Hogan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Jeremy Hogan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Darren Linvill thought he was prepared for 2020 and the firehose of false information that would come flooding down on the United States during an election year in which the country was …

Twitter to permanently ban users who spread COVID misinformation
4 years ago

Twitter to permanently ban users who spread COVID misinformation

Al Jazeera  

The social media firm says users who continue to post misleading tweets about coronavirus vaccines face a permanent ban from its platform. Twitter says it will start labelling misleading tweets about COVID vaccines and ban users who continue to spread such misinformation. The social media company late last year began calling on users to remove dangerously misleading COVID-19 claims, including …

Twitter intends to make its content moderation practices more transparent: Jack Dorsey
4 years, 1 month ago

Twitter intends to make its content moderation practices more transparent: Jack Dorsey

The Hindu  

Twitter has said that social media entities are facing a "significant trust deficit" and pledged to make its content moderation practices more transparent, giving people more control as it strives to be among the most open companies globally. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said the microblogging platform is making a lot of progress in its accountability by "owning our mistakes and …

Trump supporters, conspiracists shift to new social media sites
4 years, 1 month ago

Trump supporters, conspiracists shift to new social media sites

Al Jazeera  

Former President Donald Trump was banned from major social media sites after the January 6 riot at the US Capitol. “The most extreme Trump supporters were already on alternative platforms,” said Nick Backovic, a researcher at Logically.AI, a company specialising in digital disinformation. “The fact that Facebook and Twitter took so long to allowed influencers to rebuild conversation and groups …

Centre, Twitter India get SC notice on plea seeking mechanism to regulate content spreading hate
4 years, 1 month ago

Centre, Twitter India get SC notice on plea seeking mechanism to regulate content spreading hate

Firstpost  

The plea has also sought directions to make a law as per which an action can be initiated against Twitter and their representatives in India for willfully abetting and promoting anti-India tweets and penalise them, as well as to conduct KYC for all social media handles in India New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday sought responses from the Centre …

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