The Senate Committee on intelligence, US published reports on the involvement of Russian secret services in the US presidential Election in 2016, According to the authors of these reports, Russian agents are widely introduced in the election process through social networks. The enemy had the opportunity to spread misinformation in social networks due to the accessibility and freedom of expression on the Internet. The restriction of these freedoms have proved a difficulty in the United States, partly due to resistance from the social networks, liberal movements, but primarily because the suppression of freedom of online communication is contrary to the values of the United States.
In the reports examined a rich data set of social media posts and metadata provided by Facebook, Twitter and Google, as well as a set of related data from additional platforms.
So, overall, according to the reports, «Russia’s intervention in the US presidential election in 2016, had three different forms:
Data provided by Facebook, Twitter and Google show that the enemy is widely used and other popular social platforms, including Vine, Gab, Meetup, Vkontakte and LiveJournal. It was created several complete web sites for posting original written content and provide the source code. Was the material prepared for the associated social accounts and personas. Width included games, extensions browsers and music apps, aimed at different target groups, including American teenagers. Even the popular game Pokémon Go was included in the operation.
The participants in the investigation had done a lot of work to do. Traces of enemy action contained:
- 10.4 million tweets (of which ~ 6 million were original)
- 1100 YouTube videos in 17 channels
- 116 000 posts in Instagram through 133 account
- 61 500 unique Facebook posts 81 page
This study of the activities and tactics of the enemy online agencies have brought to the fore the complex technological, social and cognitive vulnerability of the US in social networks: «over the years the Agency Internet research has exploited the differences in our society, using vulnerability in our systems. They used a social unrest and human cognitive bias.»
«At least some of the goals of the Russian government was achieved, it seems that the United States will continue to face with the Russian intervention in the foreseeable future,» concludes the report.
Opinions of former officers of the Russian and American intelligence about the report shared with the readers of Government Executive:
Putin ID card found in Stasi archive — https://t.co/DD8RXk4y4u https://t.co/Q8Bp9L7l50
— Vladimir Putin (@VladimirPutin24) December 14, 2018
According to Oleg Kalugin, former KGB General, a rigid separation between the Russian security services and the private sector is not enough. Putin is no doubt that to achieve their goals, you can rely on private companies. Agency Internet research, or IRA, the firm that conducted a campaign of disinformation, are described in the report, funded by Evgeny Prigozhin , a tycoon who made his fortune through his close ties with Putin.
Joseph Wippel, a former secret agent of the CIA agree. «Now they have new methods, social networks. This affects some of their strengths in technology and mathematics, where I think they traditionally were pretty good.»
The question remains that oppose this. «The US government say Google, Twitter, YouTube:» you Guys need to do what we tell you? «- said Jan Neumann , a former intelligence officer of the Russian FSB. «It’s just unreal».
