Russian hacker troll farm even zanier than U.S. indictment indicates

Angry with trolls?
Image via Chicago Tribune

– News from elsewhere covered by Quincy Quarry News with commentary added.

 

Russian hacker troll farm was even zanier than U.S. indictment indicates.

 

As broached earlier by Quincy Quarry, the Russian social media trolls at the St. Petersburg Russia-based Internet Research Agency endeavored to influence mostly the 2016 United States Presidential election via all sorts of crazy stunts.

 

Have you seen what they are saying about you on Facebook?
An Evan Vucci/AP image

Even so, many – if not most – appear to have failed to take hold even on social media.

 

Reasons include woefully ill-written posts even given the low bar of domestic social media standards.

 

And as for dumb stunts endeavored, they included the Russian trolls trying to find doubles of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to make a sex tape.

 

Many of the more eye-popping accounts of the Internet Research Agency’s activities have come to light from its former staff members.

 

Not effective?
A Science Blogs image

Alan Baskaev, a self-described staffer, said that the slap-dash operation struggled with internet connections that frequently failed and its fake profiles were repeatedly spiked even by Facebook’s hapless – if not also all but clueless – administrators.

 

Baskaev bolstered his claims when he detailed what happened when managers went home.

 

Russian Dark Web social media
A techcrunch.com image

Baskaev said the twenty-somethings working the night shift at the troll farm often ran amok as do twenty-somethings, ranging from playing Islamic State anthems over the sound system and jokingly saluting each other with the Ukrainian nationalist greeting, “Glory to Ukraine!”

 

The indictment further alleges that the troll farm sent operatives to the United States.

 

Wild and Crazy Guys
An NBC image

Baskaev had already disclosed as much last year during an appearance on Russian Television, but added that he doubted any of them accomplished.

 

“They probably just went out boozing and partying.”

 

Source: Insiders: Russia troll farm even zanier than indictment says!

 

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