By AFP
October 10, 2024
Researchers analyzed accounts that shared posts favoring Republican candidate Donald Trump, while targeting Democratic nominee Kamala Harris
- Copyright AFP Mauro PIMENTEL
Anuj CHOPRA
Hundreds of apparent pro-Russian bot accounts on X are pushing US election misinformation and amplifying false narratives about Democratic contender Kamala Harris, a research group said Thursday, calling them “sleeper agents” for having evaded detection for years.
The findings by the Washington-based American Sunlight Project (ASP) demonstrate how bot-like activity plagues X, previously called Twitter, despite pledges by billionaire owner Elon Musk to crack down on the digital manipulation.
ASP analyzed nearly 1,200 accounts, a long-standing network that generated more than 100 million posts as of July, including pro-Kremlin propaganda, content favoring Republican nominee Donald Trump, and misinformation about Harris’s campaign.
The accounts, some of which have escaped detection and moderation on the site for as long as 15 years, retweeted such content within seconds of its posting, indicating bot activity, the group said in a report shared with AFP ahead of its public release.
“We were not surprised to find another pro-Russian bot network, but we were shocked to learn that some of the accounts in the sleeper agent network have been active for more than a decade,” Nina Jankowicz, the group’s co-founder and chief executive, told AFP.
Jankowicz, the former Department of Homeland Security disinformation chief, called on X to take down the network, which has seen an uptick in “abusive and false content” targeting Harris.
One account created in 2020 promoted the falsehood that Harris had admitted that she will be a “puppet” of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky if elected president.
It also touted the unfounded claim that the White House was pushing for regime change in Lebanon, taking advantage of Israel’s recent attacks on the militant group Hezbollah.
– Data restrictions –
Another account created in 2011 shared a post by Musk — who has endorsed Trump and courted criticism for amplifying political falsehoods through his influential personal account — that pushed the debunked narrative that migrants were being imported into the United States to manipulate the November 5 election.
Hundreds of accounts in the network are not attributable to real social media users, with some creating fake personas using images from stock photo websites such as Shutterstock, ASP said.
To disguise their objectives and more easily “inject themselves into larger X/Twitter conversations,” some accounts regularly shared content about subjects such as sports and cryptocurrency, the report said.
It was not possible to determine the precise entity behind the pro-Russian accounts.
With data restrictions imposed by X since Musk purchased the company in 2022 for $44 billion, it was also difficult to assess their exact reach.
Researchers are now required to pay a hefty fee for access to its API, which allows third-party developers to gather the social platform’s data.
“If researchers had data access restored, more of such activity would likely be visible,” the ASP report said.
– ‘Platform manipulation’ –
Bots and other automated accounts, researchers say, are a cornerstone of the Kremlin’s efforts to spread misinformation, in some cases supplanting state media accounts which have been restricted across several countries since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
X did not reply to AFP’s request for comment.
Ahead of his purchase of the platform, Musk pledged to “defeat the spam bots or die trying.”
But bot activity remains entrenched on the platform, a report from Australia’s Queensland University of Technology said last year, after an analysis of about one million posts.
The platform has gutted trust and safety teams and scaled back content moderation efforts, making it what researchers call a hotbed for misinformation.
“Despite the fact that Musk has an avowed goal of ridding his platform of bots, we’ve found that they persist on X, even coming from networks that are likely state-affiliated,” said Jankowicz.
“This is behavior that is fairly easy to identify, and yet this multi-billion dollar corporation has not cracked down on these accounts that violate its platform manipulation and spam policies.”
X says ‘alert’ to manipulation efforts after pro-Russia bots report
By AFP
October 11, 2024
Disinformation researchers say bot-like activity plagues X
- Copyright AFP/File Alain JOCARD
X was “alert” to any platform manipulation attempts, the Elon Musk-owned site told AFP Friday, following a report that hundreds of apparent pro-Russian bot accounts were amplifying US election misinformation.
In a study shared exclusively with AFP earlier this week, the Washington-based American Sunlight Project (ASP) said it found nearly 1,200 accounts on X that pushed pro-Kremlin propaganda, content favoring Republican nominee Donald Trump, and misinformation about Democratic contender Kamala Harris.
ASP called them “sleeper agents” as some of the accounts had escaped detection and moderation on the site –- previously known as Twitter — for as long as 15 years and retweeted content within seconds of its posting, indicating bot activity.
“Our safety team remains alert to any attempt to manipulate the platform by bad actors and networks,” an X spokesman said in a statement.
“We have a robust policy in place to prevent platform spam and manipulation, and we routinely take down accounts engaged in this type of behavior.”
Without directly addressing ASP’s findings, the spokesman added that in the first half of 2024, the platform had suspended more than 460 million accounts under its manipulation and spam policy.
Nina Jankowicz, ASP’s co-founder and chief executive who is the former Department of Homeland Security disinformation chief, has called on X to take down the pro-Russian network that was pushing out “abusive and false content” targeting Harris.
Musk — who has endorsed Trump ahead of the November 5 presidential election –- has also courted criticism for amplifying political falsehoods through his influential personal account on X, which has over 200 million followers.
Among the accounts analyzed by ASP was one created in 2020 that promoted the falsehood that Harris had admitted she will be a “puppet” of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky if elected president.
It also touted the unfounded claim that the White House was pushing for regime change in Lebanon, taking advantage of Israel’s recent attacks on the militant group Hezbollah.
Ahead of his purchase of the platform in 2022 for $44 billion, Musk pledged to “defeat the spam bots or die trying.”
But apparent bot activity remains entrenched on the platform, according to several disinformation researchers, including a report last year from Australia’s Queensland University of Technology that analyzed about one million posts.
X was “alert” to any platform manipulation attempts, the Elon Musk-owned site told AFP Friday, following a report that hundreds of apparent pro-Russian bot accounts were amplifying US election misinformation.
In a study shared exclusively with AFP earlier this week, the Washington-based American Sunlight Project (ASP) said it found nearly 1,200 accounts on X that pushed pro-Kremlin propaganda, content favoring Republican nominee Donald Trump, and misinformation about Democratic contender Kamala Harris.
ASP called them “sleeper agents” as some of the accounts had escaped detection and moderation on the site –- previously known as Twitter — for as long as 15 years and retweeted content within seconds of its posting, indicating bot activity.
“Our safety team remains alert to any attempt to manipulate the platform by bad actors and networks,” an X spokesman said in a statement.
“We have a robust policy in place to prevent platform spam and manipulation, and we routinely take down accounts engaged in this type of behavior.”
Without directly addressing ASP’s findings, the spokesman added that in the first half of 2024, the platform had suspended more than 460 million accounts under its manipulation and spam policy.
Nina Jankowicz, ASP’s co-founder and chief executive who is the former Department of Homeland Security disinformation chief, has called on X to take down the pro-Russian network that was pushing out “abusive and false content” targeting Harris.
Musk — who has endorsed Trump ahead of the November 5 presidential election –- has also courted criticism for amplifying political falsehoods through his influential personal account on X, which has over 200 million followers.
Among the accounts analyzed by ASP was one created in 2020 that promoted the falsehood that Harris had admitted she will be a “puppet” of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky if elected president.
It also touted the unfounded claim that the White House was pushing for regime change in Lebanon, taking advantage of Israel’s recent attacks on the militant group Hezbollah.
Ahead of his purchase of the platform in 2022 for $44 billion, Musk pledged to “defeat the spam bots or die trying.”
But apparent bot activity remains entrenched on the platform, according to several disinformation researchers, including a report last year from Australia’s Queensland University of Technology that analyzed about one million posts.
From Tesla to Trump: Behind Musk’s giant leap into politics
By AFP
October 11, 2024
Tesla CEO Elon Musk jumps on stage as he joins former US president and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during a campaign rally - Copyright AFP TIMOTHY A. CLARY
Alex PIGMAN
With his no-holds-barred embrace of Donald Trump, Elon Musk is not only backing the former president’s bid to return to the White House but also signaling his own ambition to command the world stage on his terms.
At a recent Trump rally in Pennsylvania, the world’s richest man bounded onto stage with pogo-like energy, sparking a torrent of memes on social media and driving engagement on X, the platform he owns.
The following day, Musk leaned into his provocative persona during an interview with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, laughing that Vice President Kamala Harris had not faced assassination attempts and expressing concern about his own future.
“If (Trump) loses, I’m fucked,” Musk quipped, still chuckling.
Musk is “all-in” for the former president as the US election enters its final stretch.
He’s poured tens of millions of dollars into the campaign and is positioned for a key role in a second Trump administration, where the former president has said he will be tasked with ripping up government bureaucracy and firing civil servants.
Observers point to various factors behind Musk’s hard turn to the right.
Some highlight his upbringing in apartheid-era South Africa, suggesting it influences his views on immigration and demographic change.
Musk frequently argues, without evidence, that an influx of undocumented immigrants threatens US democracy, echoing the “Great Replacement” theory prevalent among many whites in his childhood South Africa.
“The white South African nightmare in the 1980s, hanging over everything, was that one day Black people would rise up and massacre whites,” wrote essayist Simon Kuper in the Financial Times.
More recent personal experiences also appear to have shaped Musk’s politics.
In 2022, his daughter Vivian, then aged 18, legally changed her name and gender.
Musk later claimed his child was “killed” by the “woke mind virus” instilled at an elite California school, marking a significant hardening of his political stance.
Musk’s business interests may also help explain his allegiance to Trump.
His companies operate in highly regulated industries and have frequently clashed with authorities.
Tech analyst Rob Enderle of Enderle Group suggests that in a Trump White House, Musk might even “be in charge of his own oversight, giving him the potential power to do anything he wanted.”
– X at your service? –
The billionaire’s influence extends beyond his wealth.
Musk uses his X account, with more than 200 million followers, to amplify misinformation and controversial narratives that align with Trump’s campaign messaging.
The platform’s light-touch content moderation allows Trump-backed distortions and lies to thrive that might be restricted on other social media sites.
“It’s very different to have a figure like Musk who owns a social media platform, versus him just being out there as his own individual,” said Sophie Bjork-James, assistant professor of anthropology at Vanderbilt University.
“Musk is helping to mainstream these racist conspiracy theories and bring in mainly white men who may either be disengaged or former political liberals.”
In a recent get-out-the-vote initiative, Musk’s America super PAC, a political action committee, promised to pay $47 to anyone who gets a registered swing-state voter to sign a petition supporting free speech and the right to bear arms.
“Easy money,” Musk posted about the potentially multi-million-dollar effort.
– ‘King of the world’ –
Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, summarized Musk’s political toolkit: “Musk’s influence is money, his super PAC and X. He’s not shy about using all three to push Trump — and even push misrepresentations and falsehoods that help Trump.”
For supporters, Musk’s political involvement is an extension of his successful track record with companies like SpaceX, which now plays a central role in the US space program.
“In almost every case, Musk’s innovations paralleled things the government was trying to do, but he did it better,” Youngstown State University political science professor Paul Sracic told the Washington Examiner.
But Musk’s political stance is affecting public perception of his businesses.
Mark Hass, an Arizona State University professor who has advised major corporations, noted that driving a Tesla is no longer “the first choice if you want to demonstrate your environmental bona fides, because of his association with Trump.”
As the 2024 election approaches, Musk’s political evolution represents a new force in American politics: a tech titan with vast wealth, media influence and authoritarian leanings, Hass added.
His actions in the coming weeks could significantly affect both the election outcome and the future landscape of politics.
Musk could become a “king of the world,” said Hass.
By AFP
October 11, 2024
Tesla CEO Elon Musk jumps on stage as he joins former US president and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during a campaign rally - Copyright AFP TIMOTHY A. CLARY
Alex PIGMAN
With his no-holds-barred embrace of Donald Trump, Elon Musk is not only backing the former president’s bid to return to the White House but also signaling his own ambition to command the world stage on his terms.
At a recent Trump rally in Pennsylvania, the world’s richest man bounded onto stage with pogo-like energy, sparking a torrent of memes on social media and driving engagement on X, the platform he owns.
The following day, Musk leaned into his provocative persona during an interview with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, laughing that Vice President Kamala Harris had not faced assassination attempts and expressing concern about his own future.
“If (Trump) loses, I’m fucked,” Musk quipped, still chuckling.
Musk is “all-in” for the former president as the US election enters its final stretch.
He’s poured tens of millions of dollars into the campaign and is positioned for a key role in a second Trump administration, where the former president has said he will be tasked with ripping up government bureaucracy and firing civil servants.
Observers point to various factors behind Musk’s hard turn to the right.
Some highlight his upbringing in apartheid-era South Africa, suggesting it influences his views on immigration and demographic change.
Musk frequently argues, without evidence, that an influx of undocumented immigrants threatens US democracy, echoing the “Great Replacement” theory prevalent among many whites in his childhood South Africa.
“The white South African nightmare in the 1980s, hanging over everything, was that one day Black people would rise up and massacre whites,” wrote essayist Simon Kuper in the Financial Times.
More recent personal experiences also appear to have shaped Musk’s politics.
In 2022, his daughter Vivian, then aged 18, legally changed her name and gender.
Musk later claimed his child was “killed” by the “woke mind virus” instilled at an elite California school, marking a significant hardening of his political stance.
Musk’s business interests may also help explain his allegiance to Trump.
His companies operate in highly regulated industries and have frequently clashed with authorities.
Tech analyst Rob Enderle of Enderle Group suggests that in a Trump White House, Musk might even “be in charge of his own oversight, giving him the potential power to do anything he wanted.”
– X at your service? –
The billionaire’s influence extends beyond his wealth.
Musk uses his X account, with more than 200 million followers, to amplify misinformation and controversial narratives that align with Trump’s campaign messaging.
The platform’s light-touch content moderation allows Trump-backed distortions and lies to thrive that might be restricted on other social media sites.
“It’s very different to have a figure like Musk who owns a social media platform, versus him just being out there as his own individual,” said Sophie Bjork-James, assistant professor of anthropology at Vanderbilt University.
“Musk is helping to mainstream these racist conspiracy theories and bring in mainly white men who may either be disengaged or former political liberals.”
In a recent get-out-the-vote initiative, Musk’s America super PAC, a political action committee, promised to pay $47 to anyone who gets a registered swing-state voter to sign a petition supporting free speech and the right to bear arms.
“Easy money,” Musk posted about the potentially multi-million-dollar effort.
– ‘King of the world’ –
Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, summarized Musk’s political toolkit: “Musk’s influence is money, his super PAC and X. He’s not shy about using all three to push Trump — and even push misrepresentations and falsehoods that help Trump.”
For supporters, Musk’s political involvement is an extension of his successful track record with companies like SpaceX, which now plays a central role in the US space program.
“In almost every case, Musk’s innovations paralleled things the government was trying to do, but he did it better,” Youngstown State University political science professor Paul Sracic told the Washington Examiner.
But Musk’s political stance is affecting public perception of his businesses.
Mark Hass, an Arizona State University professor who has advised major corporations, noted that driving a Tesla is no longer “the first choice if you want to demonstrate your environmental bona fides, because of his association with Trump.”
As the 2024 election approaches, Musk’s political evolution represents a new force in American politics: a tech titan with vast wealth, media influence and authoritarian leanings, Hass added.
His actions in the coming weeks could significantly affect both the election outcome and the future landscape of politics.
Musk could become a “king of the world,” said Hass.
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