Axios (Oct 2020): Russia eyes far-right U.S. social media networks [View all]

[TomCADem]

Is it any wonder that after Twitter and Facebook and other media outlets started to police disinformation operations on mainstream platforms, that Russia targeted alternative platforms favored by the far right, such as Gab and Parler. Likewise, Parler was used to organize the insurrection and riots this week. Yet, for all their talk about patriotism, watch Republicans like Devin Nunes rush to the defense of parler despite this weeks riots.

https://www.axios.com/russia-eyes-far-right-us-social-media-networks-203ae482-fa2f-4f62-8ce1-b798c56140e4.html

The Russian troll farm central to Moscow's 2016 U.S. election interference campaign appears to be behind a new operation targeting U.S. voters on Gab and Parler, social media platforms favored by the far right.

Why it matters: The shift by Russia's Internet Research Agency to more marginal platforms may signal that the techniques and strategies that paid off for Russia in 2016 are seeing declining returns. If Moscow is trying to influence a broad swath of U.S. voters, being relegated to platforms unknown to 99% of Americans simply won’t get the job done.

Driving the news: The move to Gab and Parler was documented in a report from social media analytics firm Graphika and an accompanying Reuters investigation late last week. This is Russia's first known use of these platforms.

Details: The fake network described by Graphika revolved around an ostensibly Europe-based website called the Newsroom for American and European Based Citizens (NAEBC).