Russians exploited Pokémon Go in their efforts to influence US politics

[William Gayde]

Details are emerging about a Russian-linked campaign that sought to influence US politics through a wide variety of social media platforms. The group reportedly posed as a member of the Black Lives Matter movement and used common services like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and Tumblr to spread their targeted content.

The most surprising revelation is that this group also used the popular augmented reality app Pokémon Go to plant divisive messages.

This Russian-controlled group called themselves "Don't Shoot Us" and appears to have been run from the now-infamous Internet Research Agency. First reported by CNN, their Facebook page was one of the nearly 500 accounts that were terminated after their Russian links were exposed. The campaign posted carefully crafted and linked messages across all of their social media channels to keep their viewers coming back and clicking on more articles.

So where does Pokémon Go come into play? The group created a contest whereby people would name their Pokémon after a police brutality victim, such as Eric Garner, and then compete to capture gyms with this Pokémon. Whoever was the most successful would supposedly receive a $100 Amazon gift card.

It's not clear if anyone actually entered or won the contest but this shows just how far Russia was willing to go to create division in American politics.

The group ended up achieving hundreds of thousands of views across their platforms. The Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts have since been suspended but their YouTube and Tumblr pages appear to still be active.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/71386-russians-exploited-pokmon-go-their-efforts-influence-us.html

 

[davislane1]

Russians = The Left's WMDs

 

[MilwaukeeMike]

Russians = The Left's WMDs

I believe Harvey Weinstein currently holds that title.

Anyway ...
I'm confused - so the Russians were promoting BLM through Pokemon GO? BLM sure didn't support Trump - so... does that mean the Russian's actually weren't trying to get Trump elected?

(I know the truth is that Russia was just F'ing with our democracy in anyway they could, but that's so boring next to a story about Trump colluding with them. I expect they'll find the colluding with Russia evidence in the same pile of documents as Obama's Kenyan birth certificate.)

 

[Darth Shiv]

Democrats are just making up **** to distract the US public from the fact that the DNC is corrupt and rigged their primaries. The stupid part of this debate is that it should end right there but corruption is OK in the US if it's legal corruption.

 

[EClyde]

I wish Techspot would get off the crapper

 

[maladaptiv]

Anyway ...
I'm confused - so the Russians were promoting BLM through Pokemon GO? BLM sure didn't support Trump - so... does that mean the Russian's actually weren't trying to get Trump elected?

Trump was their candidate. Russia is trying to divide states and nations, US included. It is very old strategy but with new tools. You can conquer nation easier if it is fighting among itself.

 

[Kenrick]

Last time it was a washington post article posted here. Now its a cnn article. What is common between this two media outlets?

I hope steve can post the i5 8400 review soon.

 

[veLa]

Russians = The Left's WMDs

You know, except there's actually evidence from reporters and journalists regarding the Russian campaign of interference.

 

[Dr Aggressive]

This is getting absurd.

Are the Russians also hiding beneath your toilet?

 

[namesrejected]

This is getting absurd.

Are the Russians also hiding beneath your toilet?

I have found pictures that would suggest "yes".

 

[namesrejected]

Russians = The Left's WMDs

I believe Harvey Weinstein currently holds that title.

Anyway ...
I'm confused - so the Russians were promoting BLM through Pokemon GO? BLM sure didn't support Trump - so... does that mean the Russian's actually weren't trying to get Trump elected?

(I know the truth is that Russia was just F'ing with our democracy in anyway they could, but that's so boring next to a story about Trump colluding with them. I expect they'll find the colluding with Russia evidence in the same pile of documents as Obama's Kenyan birth certificate.)

Russians = The Left's WMDs

I believe Harvey Weinstein currently holds that title.

Anyway ...
I'm confused - so the Russians were promoting BLM through Pokemon GO? BLM sure didn't support Trump - so... does that mean the Russian's actually weren't trying to get Trump elected?

(I know the truth is that Russia was just F'ing with our democracy in anyway they could, but that's so boring next to a story about Trump colluding with them. I expect they'll find the colluding with Russia evidence in the same pile of documents as Obama's Kenyan birth certificate.)

Im sure the media will somehow twist this in a way that supports Trump. Also, dont forget that its all Bush's fault.

 

[Peter Farkas]

This is LOL....

 

[Halcyon]

Wow, the most shocking part is that this stupid drivel wasn't linked by Rob.

Russians = The Left's WMDs

You know, except there's actually evidence from reporters and journalists regarding the Russian campaign of interference.

Oh wow! Reporters and journalists you say! Guys, we don't need any kind of proof from things like intelligence agencies or law enforcement. We have confirmation from some reporters and they never make things up! Especially CNN!

 

[p51d007]

Gee...Russia "targeted" LOW INFORMATION VOTERS. I STILL see these dimwits at parks, heads buried in their phones, all tatted up, holes in their heads, metal sticking out all over the place, hair 3-4 colors, clothes look like they haven't been washed in months.

 

[Uncle Al]

Just wait till they start influencing the NFL ..... then we'll really hear about it!

 

[wiyosaya]

Russians = The Left's WMDs

Whatever you are popping, please let us know what it is so that we can all enter your reality.

Im sure the media will somehow twist this in a way that supports Trump. Also, dont forget that its all Bush's fault.

Given the above quoted post, they do not really have to. 45 supporters see support for 45 everywhere even when there is nothing credible to be found and 45 keeps waving his magic twitter finger to make his supporters think he is actually doing something meaningful. And all the while, they completely forget that a foreign entity, even when the all claim to hate foreigners, is looking more and more like it intruded on US democracy. Instead of them all screaming and promising to go to war with these foreign entities for damaging the democracy they all claim to support, they seem to be content since what they think they have is THEIR democracy. Their motto ought to be win anyway you can with any tactics that you can even if they circumvent the US constitution that they all claim to love and support with their lives. It seems most of them think that the constitution consists only of the second amendment.

I guess they would rather go to war with the unarmed and peaceful person walking on the street for wearing a hijab because such people are unarmed and likely to put up little resistance.

Here is a Pearls Before Swine comic that I think pretty much sums it all up http://home.assets.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2017/10/09
If they are not careful, at some point, they will all be wondering where their democracy went.

Just wait till they start influencing the NFL ..... then we'll really hear about it!

Got that right. Then, it will no longer be fake news! It will be something to go to war for!

 

[wiyosaya]

This is getting absurd.

Are the Russians also hiding beneath your toilet?

To the die-hard 45ers, It is not only the Russians...

 

[davislane1]

You know, except there's actually evidence from reporters and journalists regarding the Russian campaign of interference.

And they had evidence for WMDs as well. Satellite photos of various military equipment movements, if you recall. And, just like the Iraqis and Afghans, the Russians are superior at disappearing actual material evidence.

 

[wiyosaya]

Gee...Russia "targeted" LOW INFORMATION VOTERS. I STILL see these dimwits at parks, heads buried in their phones, all tatted up, holes in their heads, metal sticking out all over the place, hair 3-4 colors, clothes look like they haven't been washed in months.

But that is only one faction of low information voters...

 

[wiyosaya]

Russians = The Left's WMDs

Immigrants = the extreme Right's WMDs

 

[Reachable]

Stop for a second and think about just how absurd it would be for Putin and the Russian state to prefer the belligerent, ignorant, buffoonish Trump over anyone who would run against him. It seems much more possible that certain moneyed interests saw more investment in their interests during a Trump presidency and so they may have financed the interference. If indeed there actually was interference. What's disturbing to me about this issue is that I can't trust ANYONE, not any part of the news media, not EITHER political party to make a sincere effort at the truth. And I'm using up my whole year's allotment of capital letters.

 

[senketsu]

 

[Darth Shiv]

You know, except there's actually evidence from reporters and journalists regarding the Russian campaign of interference.

Airy fairy **** like they advertised on Facebook targeting people who were swing voters? It's not even 0.000001% as bad as a bribe yet US congress is bought all the time. Who gives a rats? Talk about double standards. I guess it's ok if it's your side that's corrupt?

Mention Russia and people start hyperventilating...

 

[Darth Shiv]

But that is only one faction of low information voters...

EVERYONE targets low information voters.

 

[commanderasus]