YouTubers and an Anti-Vax disinformation program (1 Viewer)

[The General]

Thought this deserved its own thread.

A wild story about some YouTube influencers discovering a plot to get them to promote anti-vax information which appears to have originated in Russia.

Link

 

[The Commish]

If I had no scruples whatsoever, I'd be cranking out things like this and those Qanon videos twice a week.  There's no question, they are making millions peddling that stuff.

 

[The General]

If I had no scruples whatsoever, I'd be cranking out things like this and those Qanon videos twice a week.  There's no question, they are making millions peddling that stuff.

Just another illustration of how easy a social media smear campaign can be put together. Especially seems to work perfectly with conspiracy theory stuff.

 

[H Jass]

Just another illustration of how easy a social media smear campaign can be put together. Especially seems to work perfectly with conspiracy theory stuff.

I know there are plenty of legitimate Americans who bask in this stuff and post away.  But I remain convinced that some of the more insane, directly contentious, and persistent takes are foreign actors stoking fires here.  Again, plenty of people eating it up, but I'd bet there will be tons to come out about how much subversion there was from China/Russia at some point in time.  Its practically risk free for them at the moment as there is no teeth in retaliation nor much defense.

 

[ignatiusjreilly]

I know there are plenty of legitimate Americans who bask in this stuff and post away.  But I remain convinced that some of the more insane, directly contentious, and persistent takes are foreign actors stoking fires here.  Again, plenty of people eating it up, but I'd bet there will be tons to come out about how much subversion there was from China/Russia at some point in time.  Its practically risk free for them at the moment as there is no teeth in retaliation nor much defense.

Foreign disinformation campaigns always make me think of that Stephen King novel "Needful Things". The bad guy (who is basically Satan) shows up in a small town and stirs up all kinds of trouble among the citizens, but the point is that the town was already a powder keg and he just lit the match.