Automated Pro-Trump Bots Overwhelmed Pro-Clinton Messages, Researchers Say

[highplainsdem]

Source: NYT

SAN FRANCISCO — An automated army of pro-Donald J. Trump chatbots overwhelmed similar programs supporting Hillary Clinton five to one in the days leading up to the presidential election, according to a report published Thursday by researchers at Oxford University.

The chatbots — basic software programs with a bit of artificial intelligence and rudimentary communication skills — would send messages on Twitter based on a topic, usually defined on the social network by a word preceded by a hashtag symbol, like #Clinton.

Their purpose: to rant, confuse people on facts, or simply muddy discussions, said Philip N. Howard, a sociologist at the Oxford Internet Institute and one of the authors of the report. If you were looking for a real debate of the issues, you weren’t going to find it with a chatbot.

“They’re yelling fools,” Dr. Howard said. “And a lot of what they pass around is false news.”

-snip-

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/18/technology/automated-pro-trump-bots-overwhelmed-pro-clinton-messages-researchers-say.html

[Equinox Moon]

1. I noticed ANY political Internet search I did, Republican Party was at the top

Even when I had written Democrat in the search.

dumpman did say he won because of his use of the Internet.

[riversedge]

6. I noticed doing a google seach of 'Hillary Clinton news"--Brietbart and other RW 'news' or blogs

would pop up--about same time Bannon came on the scene for Trump. They populated the articles at the top.

[Equinox Moon]

8. Yes, it was an Internet take-over

[yardwork]

12. Yes. Designed by Breitbart, funded by the Russians.

Probably the same thing in Britain that resulted in Brexit. Same in France right now.

[yallerdawg]

2. It just keeps getting worse and worse.

O wonder!

How many goodly creatures are there here!

How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,

That has such people in't.

[pnwmom]

3. So the first amendment and the internet will destroy our democracy. Great. n/t

[Feeling the Bern]

4. This reinforces my idea that Americans, for the most part, are just complete ignorant morons

that will believe anything anyone tells them if it is say loud enough, long enough and panders to their insecurities, preconceived notions and institutionalized intolerance.

Democracy cannot survive when over 3/4 of the population is too lazy to care, or too stupid to notice.

[UpInArms]

7. That

[dhill926]

9. you are correct....

they get their news from Facebook now....and as the public schools are trashed, it will only get worse....

[yardwork]

13. It is discouraging.

[rwheeler31]

5. If they are doing this for elections what else are they using it for?

People have been so manipulated this election, constantly demeaning the press moved people to totally false unchecked information,it is pure propaganda.

[riversedge]

10. Well probably anytime a Democrat on Facebook or twitter says something they

do not like. The Democrat is swarmed by trump bots.

[Hortensis]

11. Just google "fake news" also. Floods of it hit the web

in the last weeks of the campaign.

And after. I read of two murders committed by Hillary in the last few days, the second of an FBI agent who was investigating Hill's sex trafficking through the Clinton Foundation. An extremely grave indication of future attempts at political persecution and judicial lynching.