Category Archives: Fishwrap

Researchers are tracking a new kind of social media influence operation apparently meant to inflame Twitter users by re-packaging old news and amplifying divisive content. More than 215 social media accounts have re-posted news about terrorism, racism and other contentious topics from legitimate media outlets, apparently in an attempt to amplify U.S. schisms, according to research published Wednesday by the threat intelligence firm Recorded Future. The news was real but often outdated by years, and links to the international news organizations were cloaked under URL shorteners to make the headlines appear current. The activity dates back to May 2018. The campaign, which Recorded Future calls “Fishwrap,” marks a subtle evolution in information operations because, by posting news about actual events, the accounts are clearly violating any terms of service and therefore have been able to avoid a general suspension, the company said. Researchers did not attribute the activity to a specific country or […]

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