Effort to Expose Russia’s ‘Troll Army’ Draws Vicious Retaliation

[Independent voter]

Our Russian trolls seem rather tame in comparison to those in the article.

Long article, more at the link

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http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/31/wo...olls.html?_r=0




The response was overwhelming, though not in the direction that the journalist, Jessikka Aro, had hoped.

As she expected, she received some feedback from people who had clashed with aggressively pro-Russian voices online. But she was taken aback, and shaken, by a vicious retaliatory campaign of harassment and insults against her and her work by those same pro-Russian voices.

“Everything in my life went to hell thanks to the trolls,” said Ms. Aro, 35, an investigative reporter with the social media division of Finland’s state broadcaster, Yle Kioski.

Abusive online harassment is hardly limited to pro-Russian Internet trolls. Ukraine and other countries at odds with the Kremlin also have legions of aggressive avengers on social media.

But pro-Russian voices have become such a noisy and disruptive presence that both NATO and the European Union have set up special units to combat what they see as a growing threat not only to civil discourse but to the well-being of Europe’s democratic order and even to its security.

This “information war,” said Rastislav Kacer, a veteran diplomat who served as Slovakia’s ambassador to Washington and at NATO’s headquarters in Brussels, “is just part of a bigger struggle.” While not involving bloodshed, he added, it “is equally as dangerous as more conventional hostile action.”
Continue reading the main story

For Ms. Aro, the abuse increased sharply last year when, following up on reports in the opposition Russian news media, she visited St. Petersburg to investigate the workings of a Russian “troll factory.” The big office churns out fake news and comment, particularly on Ukraine, and floods websites and social media with denunciations of Russia’s critics.

In response to her reporting, pro-Russian activists in Helsinki organized a protest outside the headquarters of Yle, accusing it of being a troll factory itself. Only a handful of people showed up.

At the same time, Ms. Aro has been peppered with abusive emails, vilified as a drug dealer on social media sites and mocked as a delusional bimbo in a music video posted on YouTube.

“There are so many layers of fakery you get lost,” said Ms. Aro, who was awarded the Finnish Grand Prize for Journalism in March.

Public opinion is deeply divided, making Finland a prime target for a campaign by Russia.

“Their big thing is to keep Finland out of NATO,” said Saara Jantunen, a researcher at the Finnish Defense Forces in Helsinki, who last year published a book in Finland entitled “Info-War.” She said that she, too, had been savaged on social media, sometimes by the same and apparently fake commentators who have hounded Ms. Aro.

“They fill the information space with so much abuse and conspiracy talk that even sane people start to lose their minds,” she added.

Europe’s main response so far has been to try to counter outright lies. In November, the European Union launched “Disinformation Review,” a weekly compendium of pro-Kremlin distortions and untruths.

But facts have been powerless against a torrent of abuse and ridicule targeted at European journalists, researchers and others labeled NATO stooges.

Pro-Russian activists insist that they are merely exercising their right to free speech, and that they do not take money or instructions from Moscow.

The most abusive messages against Ms. Aro were mostly sent anonymously or from accounts set up under fake names on Facebook and other social media.

One of her most vocal critics in Finland, however, has openly declared his identity. He is Johan Backman, a tireless supporter of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia who highlights the blurred lines between state-sponsored harassment and the expression of strongly held personal views.

Fluent in Russian, Mr. Backman now spends much of his time in Moscow, appearing regularly in the Russian news media and at conferences in Russia as “a human rights defender.” He also serves as the representative in Northern Europe for the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies, a state-funded research group led by a Soviet-era intelligence officer.

Mr. Backman, who also represents the Donetsk People’s Republic, the breakaway state set up with Russian support in eastern Ukraine, denied targeting Ms. Aro as part of any “information war.” Rather, he insisted that Russia was itself the victim of a campaign of disinformation and distortion conducted by the West.

In a recent interview in Moscow, he said that Ms. Aro was part of this campaign and that she had tried to curtail the freedom of speech of Russia’s supporters in Finland by labeling them as “Russian trolls.” All the same, Mr. Backman added, her complaints about being targeted for abuse “have been very beneficial for Russia” because they have made others think twice about criticizing Moscow.

“She says she is a victim, and nobody wants to be a victim,” he said. “This changed the atmosphere in the journalistic community.”

Mr. Backman said he used his own private means to fund his activities in support of what he described as an “entirely defensive” campaign by Russia to counter Western propaganda. His activities, however, invariably follow Moscow’s political and geopolitical script, particularly on NATO, which he regularly denounces as a tool for United States military occupation.

Just days after Ms. Aro made her first appeal in September 2014 for information about Russian trolls, Mr. Backman told Russian People’s Line, a nationalist Russian website, and other media that she was a “well-known assistant of American and Baltic special services.”

Around the same time, she received a call late at night on her cellphone from a number in Ukraine. Nobody spoke, and all she could hear was gunfire. This was followed by text and email messages denouncing her as a “NATO whore” and a message purporting to come from her father — who died 20 years ago — saying he was “watching her.”

“I don’t know if these people are acting on orders from Russia, but they are clearly what Lenin called ‘useful idiots,’” said Mika Pettersson, the editor of Finland’s national news agency and an organizer of the editors’ open letter. “They are playing into Putin’s pocket. Nationalist movements in Finland and other European countries want to destabilize the European Union and NATO, and this goes straight into Putin’s narrative. ”

Ilja Janitskin, the founder and head of MVLehti, who is based in Barcelona, Spain, said in response to emailed questions that he had no connection with Russia other than his surname. His political views, he said, are closer to those of Donald J. Trump, not Mr. Putin.

He added that he had become interested in Ms. Aro only after she accused his website of “distributing Russian propaganda.”

Like Mr. Backman, he denied receiving any money from Russian sources, insisting that his website, which in just 18 months has become one of Finland’s most widely read online news sources, finances itself from advertising and donations by readers.

Ms. Aro acknowledged that she had used amphetamines regularly in her early 20s but dismissed as a “total lie” claims that she had been or is a drug dealer.

“They get inside your head, and you start thinking: If I do this, what will the trolls do next?” she said.

[Combatbutler]

That isn't really news nor is it really shocking, in this modern day and age information is key, even if it is misinformation. Any influential nation will have similar programs to support their agenda. Slander, blackmail and propaganda are ancient, they just stepped up into the information age.

[May90]

I do not quite understand what these people try to accomplish. Do they seriously hope that their crazy conspiracy theories will change someone's mind? They would be much better off just taking one of the popular points of view on the west and try to drag it away a bit to make it suit their needs, than what they are doing: employing the style that makes everyone, even those agreeing with their general message, facepalm.

[Shalcker]

So, "journalist investigates trolling, proves to be too susceptible to trolling herself"? That doesn't even sound as most vicious kind of trolling too; as far as i see stuff mentioned is perfectly legal...

This paranoia and painting everyone who disagrees with you as "Russian troll" is quite akin to Cold War "commie sympathiser", and is often used even against those who have no sympathy to Russia and/or Putin...

Keep doing this; you're only making divide in your own society bigger that way rather then fortifying your points as unassailable.

Not every troll is pro-Russian; there can be anti-EU/rightwing trolls that support anything that threatens EU domination, or "truthseeker" trolls that happen to believe anything that opposes government talking points.

[Deleted]

That isn't really news nor is it really shocking, in this modern day and age information is key, even if it is misinformation. Any influential nation will have similar programs to support their agenda. Slander, blackmail and propaganda are ancient, they just stepped up into the information age.

Sure. Regular media ain't much better. That doesn't make this acceptable.
The difference here is that it's state-funded death threats and bullying. Even regular media have limits set by free speech and normal law that protects people from abuse. This goes way beyond that. It's unlawful and appauling.

- - - Updated - - -

So, "journalist investigates trolling, proves to be too susceptible to trolling herself"? That doesn't even sound as most vicious kind of trolling too; as far as i see stuff mentioned is perfectly legal...

This paranoia and painting everyone who disagrees with you as "Russian troll" is quite akin to Cold War "commie sympathiser", and is often used even against those who have no sympathy to Russia and/or Putin...

Keep doing this; you're only making divide in your own society bigger that way rather then fortifying your points as unassailable.

Not every troll is pro-Russian; there can be anti-EU/rightwing trolls that support anything that threatens EU domination, or "truthseeker" trolls that happen to believe anything that opposes government talking points.

"Around the same time, she received a call late at night on her cellphone from a number in Ukraine. Nobody spoke, and all she could hear was gunfire. This was followed by text and email messages denouncing her as a “NATO whore” and a message purporting to come from her father — who died 20 years ago — saying he was “watching her.”"

Doesn't sound vicious to you?

Yea misinformation is a big thing and people need to smarten up about it. I'm as anti-US as I am anti-Russia. But I've never been painted as much as a devil of all evil, as I have by Russians. There are no arguments, as soon as you proclaim you're against some things Russia does, the floodgates open. You get called US dog, you get called this and that, NATO-lover and so on. THere is zero argument. It's 100% abuse and lies to discredit the PERSON, not the argument presented by the person. It's extreme. THere's no discussion to be had, it's just a torrent of abuse.

When I argue with people from the US, I don't get called socialist pig, freedom hater or Russia-lover. Sure, it CAN happen, but it's the exception not the rule.

[Shalcker]

Sure. Regular media ain't much better. That doesn't make this acceptable.
The difference here is that it's state-funded death threats and bullying. Even regular media have limits set by free speech and normal law that protects people from abuse. This goes way beyond that. It's unlawful and appauling.

There are no "state-funded death threats" mentioned in article though.

In fact, the journalist herself is part of "state-funded" organization...

The only Russian state-funded organization mentioned in article would be called "think-tank" in West and not a trolling platform.
Other source with funding mentioned seems to be crowd-funded Finnish outlet.

[May90]

So, "journalist investigates trolling, proves to be too susceptible to trolling herself"? That doesn't even sound as most vicious kind of trolling too; as far as i see stuff mentioned is perfectly legal...

This paranoia and painting everyone who disagrees with you as "Russian troll" is quite akin to Cold War "commie sympathiser", and is often used even against those who have no sympathy to Russia and/or Putin...

Keep doing this; you're only making divide in your own society bigger that way rather then fortifying your points as unassailable.

Not every troll is pro-Russian; there can be anti-EU/rightwing trolls that support anything that threatens EU domination, or "truthseeker" trolls that happen to believe anything that opposes government talking points.

Congratulations; you obviously didn't read the article, and what you just said has nothing to do either with the article or with OP's addendum. No one is calling everyone disagreeing with them Russian trolls, and no one said every troll is pro-Russian; the article about a specific case of organized campaign of Internet attacks.

I don't understand why you people deny these things so much. It is like Russia has some kind of "fear of criticism" plague in it. If you say that there are Internet trolls supporting the US government, for example, I will say, sure, they probably are there; it would make sense for them to be there. I won't go into the denial mode and say, "Nooooo, it is paranoia, you just label everyone you disagree with as American troll". Why are you so afraid of admitting that your government does some nasty things?

[Shalcker]

"Around the same time, she received a call late at night on her cellphone from a number in Ukraine. Nobody spoke, and all she could hear was gunfire. This was followed by text and email messages denouncing her as a “NATO whore” and a message purporting to come from her father — who died 20 years ago — saying he was “watching her.”"

Doesn't sound vicious to you?

Call from "Ukrainian number" into Finland? Sounds like someone used some call gateway in Ukraine for call with pre-recorded gunfire. Most likely Finn too; Russians don't usually care enough about Finland to call, plus calls into foreign countries aren't that cheap unlike comment-trolling.

Or her boyfriend mispressed call button on his phone while playing Battlefield...

She does sound unstable; drug use often has this as side-effect (and from links in the article she does seem to be convicted drug-user - long ago but still).

Yea misinformation is a big thing and people need to smarten up about it. I'm as anti-US as I am anti-Russia. But I've never been painted as much as a devil of all evil, as I have by Russians. There are no arguments, as soon as you proclaim you're against some things Russia does, the floodgates open. You get called US dog, you get called this and that, NATO-lover and so on. THere is zero argument. It's 100% abuse and lies to discredit the PERSON, not the argument presented by the person. It's extreme. THere's no discussion to be had, it's just a torrent of abuse.

This happens a lot from other side too. Most people everywhere just don't like to think; and some fairly basic and innocent assumptions are already primed as triggers from both sides.

When I argue with people from the US, I don't get called socialist pig, freedom hater or Russia-lover. Sure, it CAN happen, but it's the exception not the rule.

That depends on outlet; perhaps you were choosing wrong sites for debate.

[Crispin]

Shalcker defending Russian trolls, colour me surprised

[Shalcker]

Congratulations; you obviously didn't read the article, and what you just said has nothing to do either with the article or with OP's addendum. No one is calling everyone disagreeing with them Russian trolls, and no one said every troll is pro-Russian; the article about a specific case of organized campaign of Internet attacks.

No, you didn't seem to read the article. There are absolutely NO mention of "organized campaign" (though there are some vague allegations, but nothing concrete); she made news with her (overblown) reveal of "Russian troll factory", a few rebuttals went up on various sites, then Finnish people looked into dirt on her and found plenty... well, "don't poke hornet nest if you are afraid of being stung".

I don't understand why you people deny these things so much. It is like Russia has some kind of "fear of criticism" plague in it. If you say that there are Internet trolls supporting the US government, for example, I will say, sure, they probably are there; it would make sense for them to be there. I won't go into the denial mode and say, "Nooooo, it is paranoia, you just label everyone you disagree with as American troll". Why are you so afraid of admitting that your government does some nasty things?

But the problem is - you do label most people who supports any Russian position as pro-Russian trolls. Even those who have nothing to do with Russia; and even those who are honest and not even trolling.

Most real trolling (disinformation) outlets in Russia are private-funded - usually going by with payments for writing fake reviews and running smear (or "anonymous support") campaigns.

Most "comment section attacks" are "Russian memes" espoused by those convinced they are true, not "Russian trolls" themselves.

[Nilinor]

Shalcker defending Russian trolls, colour me surprised

I find it delightfully amusing to be honest. I wonder what his wage is doing this, can't be very high he is on MMO-champion, not really the best place to do the job, but someone low on the totempoll has to I guess :P

[Shalcker]

Classic tactic. Trying to throw shit at the author instead of discrediting what she is actually saying.

That is literally written in article, and they even include link to Finnish site.

Plus, it's not article about what she is saying... it's more about "throwing shit" at other side instead of discrediting what they are saying :P

[Nilinor]

That is literally written in article, and they even include link to Finnish site.

Plus, it's not article about what she is saying... it's more about "throwing shit" at other side instead of discrediting what they are saying about her :P

Its an ad hominem attack, and you are perpetuating it.

"Abusive[edit]
Abusive ad hominem usually involves attacking the traits of an opponent as a means to invalidate their argument(s). Equating someone's character with the soundness of their argument is a logical fallacy."

On top of that, you ACTUALLY said "She does sound unstable" to try to keep it going, focusing on her past and make it seem possible she still is.

Thats like saying that my dad smoked pot when he was 14, that makes him a horrible candidate to be police chief soon. Her past has nothing to do with what she is doing now.

[Shalcker]

Its an ad hominem attack, and you are perpetuating it.

It's literally article about her reaction to trolling. ABOUT "ad hominem attack". OP is the one perpetuating it.

How else do you see her reaction?

On top of that, you ACTUALLY said "She does sound unstable" to try to keep it going, focusing on her past and make it seem possible she still is.

Entirely possible. Unlikely, but possible. No evidence to contrary is given (other then conviction of 20 editors that she is innocent).

[Deleted]

We already know about the Russian troll army makes you wonder how many countries that use that tactic.

[Nilinor]

We already know about the Russian troll army makes you wonder how many countries that use that tactic.

Probably every country, I wouldn't be surprised. TBH, I would be far more shocked if countries DIDN'T do it.

The main difference is the level of crazy and obvious "lol wtf?" statements.

[GennGreymane]

Wheres the rest of the crew?

[Deleted]

Probably every country, I wouldn't be surprised. TBH, I would be far more shocked if countries DIDN'T do it.

The main difference is the level of crazy and obvious "lol wtf?" statements.

I would guess the major player use it. And countries that have bad rep as it takes a lot of effort. US, Turkey, Iran, Russian and China for instance.

You would need alot people and my guess is that labour has to be somewhat cheap.

My country probably don't as they are pretty much oblivious to their rep (seeing as they do their best to fuck it up)

[Crispin]

Wheres the rest of the crew?

Forced vacation iirc.

[May90]

But the problem is - you do label most people who supports any Russian position as pro-Russian trolls. Even those who have nothing to do with Russia; and even those who are honest and not even trolling.

Most real trolling (disinformation) outlets in Russia are private-funded - usually going by with payments for writing fake reviews and running smear (or "anonymous support") campaigns.

Most "comment section attacks" are "Russian memes" espoused by those convinced they are true, not "Russian trolls" themselves.

I haven't called anyone "Russian troll" personally; I know enough about people to know that some people honestly believe in all that conspiracy stuff. Not sure who you are referring to by "you". Not that it even matters, since it has nothing to do with the article, it is just your usual "no u" kind of rebuttal.

It is crazy to think that a country such as Russia, with its history of censorship and media control, won't employ paid Internet-commenters in this age; it is also crazy to think that hundreds people can randomly just start attacking a few journalists, where just a couple of days ago everything was quiet. The article hasn't provided any proof, that's true; I am not a fan of the definitive conclusion they came to, it is a poor journalist ethics to make claims without hard proof - and yet your active denial, so similar to that we can see from other pro-Russia posters around here, is quite funny; you are afraid of admitting that your country sometimes acts dirty, because... who knows because of what. I've never understood why some people are so stuck up on the desire to look impeccable.

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Probably every country, I wouldn't be surprised. TBH, I would be far more shocked if countries DIDN'T do it.

The main difference is the level of crazy and obvious "lol wtf?" statements.

Some countries barely even have Internet. We probably can find countries that don't do that. Some random poor small state in Oceania. Or maybe some African state in which government barely has any control over anything (Somalia?) and doesn't bother hiring anyone for online propaganda.