Russian bots are back: #WalkAway attack on Democrats is a likely Kremlin operation

XMonkey

Member
Oct 26, 2017
5,965
It’s weak, but they only need to discourage a small % of otherwise Democrat-voting people from turning out in order to swing a small # of Congress seats to maintain a GOP majority.
Meh, it’s a shitty slogan that could just as easily be co-opted by Democrats to implore Republicans to walk away from their party. Russia needs to step it up if they want results. Without someone like Hillary to focus their efforts on they won’t be be as successful. Doubly so because it’s a midterm election.
 

Gluka

Member
Oct 25, 2017
368
Hamilton 68 isn't considered reputable by the infosec community from what I've read. That said, it doesn't seem like much of a stretch that the hashtag was boosted by bot accounts - we just won't know unless Twitter comes out and releases a statement.
 

rambis

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
2,790
Splitting democrats worked last time so its no suprise. Thats why I don't understand the toxicity. You need fire but you also need to keep your eye on the prize.
 

DarthWoo

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,552
Some idiot at work was practically gloating about how some people attacked a St. Jude family for thanking Eric Trump for his donations to St. Jude's. While I can understand the family being actual #walkaway people (despite the irony that successful implementation of liberal policies would have seen them never even NEEDING to rely on charity for their cancer care), I wonder how many of these suppose attackers were made up of bots.
 

Ether_Snake

Member
Oct 29, 2017
9,077
2016 will probably end looking like the good ol days compared to the shit show 2020 will be. This stuff will be cranked up to 11, and not just by bots but by people who just don’t want things to get better, who insist that a “revolution” is necessary, so even with a great party and candidate they would work against them.
 

Volimar

volunteer forum janitor
Member
Oct 25, 2017
21,863
2016 will probably end looking like the good ol days compared to the shit show 2020 will be. This stuff will be cranked up to 11, and not just by bots but by people who just don’t want things to get better, who insist that a “revolution” is necessary, so even with a great party and candidate they would work against them.

People will be using deep fake technology to make social media posts about fake speeches where the candidate says something vile. It's coming.
 

nasirum

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,800
Somewhere
This is idiotic. Who on the left would transition to a white supremacist party because the left is starting to confront the establishment politicians?
 

Bramblebutt

Member
Jan 11, 2018
1,769
Just registered to vote as a democrat, I've been putting it off ever since I moved to North Carolina

Thanks for the reminder, Ivan
 

Commedieu

Member
Nov 11, 2017
13,592
Dems inclined to walk away aren't worth shit to begin with ultimately. Kidnapping kids and throwing them into camps isn't something to agree to disagree to.

The experiment has failed if people have to be consistently reminded about human rights.
 

Conciliator

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,249
Any effort, agenda, policy, or ideology that includes getting fewer Americans to vote is completely suspect
 

nasirum

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,800
Somewhere
This is just so convenient. Everyone in the Reddit threads just saying "so I'm a bot because I don't like how Maxine Waters and her like handle differences?"

These thin skinned people are upset now, but somehow forgot everything Trump has done?

Fuck all of this man. This is a national emergency in the making. We're losing our country to propaganda.
 
Dec 22, 2017
4,761
Can we instead repurpose it? It's obviously not going away. Just take it away from them.
Encourage all the GOP to walk away like that teacher did to Scott Pruitt.

Bu...but if you simply ignore the fact that Reddit is a platform for cyber warfare, propaganda and white supremecy it has some great threads...

Burn muthaphucken Reddit down and salt the ashes. Fuck your hobbies, folks
I’m with you. This applies to Twitter and FB too. Burn it all down.
 

Gaia Lanzer

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,110
Maybe they should whine about the civility their POTUS exudes. He’s of course very civil and nice to everyone.
They don't care. They make excuses, or praise the fuck outta that orange goon.

Conservatives and Trump's cronies could cry me a river! Always playing victim, when they are the least victimized people in America. They aren't used to being challenged. It SCARES THE SHIT outta them. So, maybe it's time to challenge them!!!
 

Grug

Member
Oct 26, 2017
3,131
This all makes me despondent tbh... feels like the only way to fight back is to utilise similar tactics, but where does that lead?
 

F34R

Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,226
This kind of crap is another reason I don't do politics on any social media platforms, Twitter as well.
 

MDS

Banned
Jun 26, 2018
120
You guys really shouldn't believe anything the Alliance For Securing Democracy says. It's a neocon think tank staffed by some of the worst Bush-era figures and heavily funded by foreign governments.
 

Chekhonte

User banned for use of an alt-account
Banned
Oct 31, 2017
1,886
I was expecting this to start the day after Trump has his meeting with his handler.
 
Oct 25, 2017
6,123
Brooklyn, NY
Hamilton 68 isn't considered reputable by the infosec community from what I've read. That said, it doesn't seem like much of a stretch that the hashtag was boosted by bot accounts - we just won't know unless Twitter comes out and releases a statement.
Yeah, while it seems very likely that these tweets were amplified by botnets, Hamilton 68’s methodology is a total black box and even one of the creators says it’s likely overblown as a measure of Russian influence.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/miriamelder/stop-blaming-russian-bots-for-everything
 

Thorn

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,787
I don't think it's a coincidence I saw this being pushed on Fox when I was at the gym.

This is a collaborative effort.
 

TI92

Alt account
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
5,598
Yep, go check out the r/walkaway subreddit. Mixed with the left wing making fun of them is a LOT of russian trolls.
 

Maven

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
2,076
Earth
I can't remember where I started seeing #walkaway(I want to say a video ad), but the good thing it just hasn't taken off

It's stupid
 

Beer Monkey

Member
Oct 30, 2017
7,038
Yeah, while it seems very likely that these tweets were amplified by botnets, Hamilton 68’s methodology is a total black box and even one of the creators says it’s likely overblown as a measure of Russian influence.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/miriamelder/stop-blaming-russian-bots-for-everything
I mean, the only way of being fully transparent is listing the bot accounts and then they just get recycled into new accounts.

These hashtags are obviously amplified to anybody paying attention.
 

Lwyn

Banned for use of an alt-account
Banned
Jul 2, 2018
168
I can't remember where I started seeing #walkaway(I want to say a video ad), but the good thing it just hasn't taken off

It's stupid
It all started with a guy called the unsilent minority. He released a video on facebook urging Democrats to walk away from the party due to all the uncivil actions and supposed destruction. He used articles from Fox News and claims the legitimacy of a list that ranks minority victimhood important to non important.

The funny thing about all this? The man is gay and hair dresser/stylist but you wouldn't know that on first impression. He is afforded the benefit of doubt not unlike the people he's trying to talk to.

Here's his video, brace yourself for the sad music:
 

Smilin Commander

Alt-Account
Banned
Jul 5, 2018
70
It all started with a guy called the unsilent minority. He released a video on facebook urging Democrats to walk away from the party due to all the uncivil actions and supposed destruction. He used articles from Fox News and claims the legitimacy of a list that ranks minority victimhood important to non important.

The funny thing about all this? The man is gay and hair dresser/stylist but you wouldn't know that on first impression. He is afforded the benefit of doubt not unlike the people he's trying to talk to.

Here's his video, brace yourself for the sad music:


Wow .. what a video

Abit heavy with the sad music and dramatic talk. But I don't see the point ...is he asking people who are libral to walk away to the Republicans or go independent.
 

loquaciousJenny

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
2,457
Didn't they do the same thing with Bernie stans in 2016? The whole Bernie or nothing stuff. I do distinctively remember, that was also Russian trolls related.

Honestly, I believe people will fall for it again.
Of course they will, just look at literally any thread about democrats and all the comrades fighting Putin's fight for disinformation. Fucking every thread about the supreme court has some clueless motherfucker acting like Dems can stop it but giving no examples of how while he moans about how they are republicans and people shouldn't vote