Vaccine Wars In U.S. Provided Fertile Ground For Russian Trolls Meddling With 2016 Elections
The bots didn't pick a side, though, instead hurling insults at both pro- and anti-vaccine advocates. A new study found that their only intent seemed to be to raise the level of hostility in the debate.
The New York Times:
Russian Trolls Used Vaccine Debate To Sow Discord, Study Finds
Don’t get #vaccines. Illuminati are behind it.” “Do you still treat your kids with leaves? No? And why don’t you #vaccinate them? It’s medicine!” With messages like those, Russian internet trolls meddling in the 2016 presidential election also lashed out at Americans debating the safety of vaccines, a new study has found. (McNeil, 8/23)
The Washington Post:
Russian Trolls And Twitter Bots Exploit Vaccine Controversy
Researchers found bots and Russian trolls mentioned vaccines more often than the average Twitter account over a three-year period, but for different reasons. Russian trolls stoked the debate by tweeting pro- and anti-vaccine messages in an apparent attempt to sow division, while bots that spread malicious software appeared to use anti-vaccine messages that inflame strong responses from both sides to attract clicks. “Apparently only the elite get ‘clean’ #vaccines. And what do we, normal ppl, get?! #VaccinateUS,” a Russian troll account tweeted in one of the messages that stood out to researchers because of the unusual line it drew between vaccine fearmongering and income inequality. (Johnson, 8/23)
Stat:
Russian Bots Were Used To Sow Divisions On Vaccines, Researchers Say
In the lead-up to the 2016 U.S. election, Russian bots and trolls took to Twitter and other social media platforms to try to turn Americans against one another. But in addition to spreading false information and interfering in the election, a new study reports, a significant number of these malevolent actors tried to sow discord over vaccines. An analysis of Twitter accounts previously identified as having been operated by Russian bots and trolls found they dove into the vaccine debate as early as January 2015, the researchers reported. They did not take one side or the other, but seemed to tweet pro-vaccine and anti-vaccine messages in roughly equal measure. (Branswell, 8/23)
Meanwhile —
Stat:
NIH Is Questioning Researchers About Influence From Foreign Governments
The National Institutes of Health is investigating roughly a half-dozen research institutions based on suspicions that researchers with federal grants failed to disclose significant financial contributions from foreign governments, Director Francis Collins said Thursday. The fact-finding operation, Collins said, will center in many cases on technology research. ... On Wednesday, Collins also wrote to roughly 10,000 NIH grant institutions encouraging them to set up briefings with FBI field offices about threats to intellectual property and foreign interference. (Facher, 8/23)
