“From there, organic proliferation of the messaging and data through authentic peer groups and networks was inevitable,” the Facebook study said. That study defined “false amplification” as a “coordinated activity by inauthentic accounts with the intent of manipulating political discussion,” either by discouraging some groups from joining an online debate or by “amplifying sensationalistic voices over others.” Petersburg-based troll farm thought to be financed by President Vladimir Putin ally Yevgeny Prigozhin.Īn April 2017 case study co-authored by Facebook security officer Alex Stamos also described similar tricks being used by Russian trolls to try to influence the 2016 U.S. RFE/RL has documented how the same tactics were used by the Internet Research Agency, the St. He said those fake accounts also worked together with legitimate accounts in Moldova to flood web forums with posts aimed at manipulating online public debate.įacebook has said that’s a Russian troll tactic called “false amplification.”įacebook Manipulation Echoes Accounts From Russian 'Troll Factory' He said the network generated and distributed fake news, disinformation, and memes ahead of Moldova’s February 24 parliamentary elections. Like previous Russian troll campaigns, Spinu said, the Moldovan trolls set up fake Facebook accounts to pose as legitimate voters and civic groups. “Monitors in Ukraine and Georgia have told us that they also are seeing the same kind of troll activity in their countries – the same kind of coordinated tactics we’ve seen used by the Russian trolls” and copied in Moldova, Spinu said. Spinu said social-media monitors in other former Soviet republics at odds with the Kremlin have expressed concerns to him about similar “copycat” tactics in their countries.

Spinu said his civic group, Trolless, found that those who ran Moldova’s fake Facebook operation “learned lessons” and copied tricks used by the Russian trolls who allegedly tried to influence the 2016 U.S. Victor Spinu, co-founder of the Chisinau-based social-media monitor that helped Facebook investigate the network, told RFE/RL that the Moldovan ruse promoted Prime Minister Pavel Filip’s ruling Democratic Party (PDM) and was “very close to the activity of Russian troll farms.”įilip and his Democratic Party are at odds with the Kremlin over such issues as Chisinau’s aspirations to join the European Union.

CHISINAU - A fraudulent Facebook campaign in Moldova used the tactics of Russia’s notorious “troll farm” - the Internet Research Agency - to promote a political party that, ironically, is at odds with the Kremlin.

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