Thread: Trump Twitter bots, numbering in millions, could be used to blanket internet with wea

Trump Twitter bots, numbering in millions, could be used to blanket internet with weaponized false info

BY
Adam Edelman
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Saturday, June 3, 2017, 6:00 AM

The millions of Twitter bots that President Trump counts as followers could eventually be "weaponized" to spread fake and misleading news stories that favor the beleaguered White House or distract from the scandals it faces, experts say.

Trump's "@RealDonaldTrump" account saw a big spike in followers - roughly 3 million - last weekend, most of which were newly created accounts without photos or tweets - telltale signs of Twitter bots.

And while such bot-followers can be purchased simply to create the image that one's account is influential, they can also be used for far-more nefarious purposes, including to help spread false news stories or to resurface old news stories that might ramp up enthusiasm among supporters on social media or to distract from new or growing scandals.

"A bot army can be utilized for a number of dishonest purposes, chief amongst them, misrepresenting public sentiment about whichever topics the controller has interest in," explained Brad Hayes, a fellow at the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab's Interactive Robotics Group.

Half of President Trump's Twitter followers are bots

"If 3 million people started tweeting in favor of or against a particular topic, would it shift public perception? What if those same 3 million people targeted every source you use for information? It's fair to say that this kind of written 'show of force' can certainly alter perceptions."

Over time, such action, known as "astroturfing," can "contribute to a fundamental shift in perception of the topic, with those with dissenting views perhaps not feeling comfortable replying against a vast majority, creating a feedback loop," added Hayes, who rose to prominence in bot circles after he created a Twitter bot using an AI algorithm mimicking Trump's prior tweets and statements that almost identically resembled Trump's own "@RealDonaldTrump" account.

"You can use your botnet to drown out dissenting opinions or to exhaust your target's ability to respond to legitimate calls for response," he explained.

Under that scenario, bots would be programmed to post and disseminate political stories to targeted users who are more likely to follow accounts associated with, or click on links posted by, conservative media outlets, like Breitbart News and InfoWars.

It remains unclear whether Trump purchased such followers with those motives; if he merely attracted them en masse without compensation; if he simply was looking to beef up his numbers — or if he had nothing to do with the spike at all.

The White House did not respond to questions about the followers.

But the "weaponizing" of bots to spread fake and misleading news to influence politics is far from unprecedented.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/poli...icle-1.3216481

So is this first bot weaponization of information in our universe or is it only coming out now that there might be bots on Trump twitter because it's Trump Twitter? Aren't there bots on everyone who matters Twitter account? Don't bots only go to accounts that matter that are widely read so the "fake news" is widespread or are they trying to convince us that bots target low-read sites?

These DemoQuacks really are so stupid and desperate, it's pathetic to watch them. John Kerry thinks C02 causes asthma which of course it doesn't. The Mayor of Miami believes his city is flooding because of C02 when the city is actually sinking because it's built on a sand bar (just like New Orleans), environmentalists think a labor intensive energy source like solar that employs 373,000 people providing less than 1% of our energy is better than coal that employs 80,000 people providing over 30% of our energy is a good thing.

There is nothing wrong with any of our energy sources, we need them all while we have them, and we also need new ones that are even better.

Everyone needs to get on the Trump Train and support all energy sources including new ones we don't know much about yet or haven't even thought of yet. Keep all doors open, encourage them all, regulate them all and protect the environment and our citizens. It's really not complicated. The pressing issue right now is not what energy source you use, it's whether or not you can pay the utility bill and your rent/mortgage. Today, we have over half of our country who can't do that on their own and still buy food and medicine, which to me means we're broke.

Fix the economy, bring our jobs back, secure our borders and with money in our pockets, we can work, earn, live and enjoy while still preserving our habitats and protecting our environment.