A pro-Hillary Clinton Super PAC has adopted the same tactics as the Kremlin, namely by paying an absurd amount to an army of online commenters to correct “misinformed” users over social media.
The Super PAC, called Correct the Record, is spending up to $1 million to create this army, stating that so far the project has been a great success: over 5,000 people who have directed negative comments at Clinton over Twitter have been “addressed.” The group hopes to combat anti-Clinton comments on Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Instagram and other platforms, as well, and has brought on former reporters and bloggers to aid in the effort.
“While Hillary Clinton fights to break down barriers and bring America together, the Barrier Breakers 2016 digital task force will serve as a resource for supporters looking for positive content and push-back to share with their online progressive communities, as well as thanking prominent supporters and committed superdelegates on social media,” the PAC’s press release stated.
Correct the Record’s tactics fall in lockstep with the Kremlin’s practice of running online troll operations to boost Russia’s image abroad and shape the broader narrative. These operators run interference in comment sections like The Huffington Post, Fox News, Politico and other outlets.
Documents obtained by BuzzFeed back in 2014 show that Russian operators are supposed to make about 50 comments a day on news articles, as well as start six Facebook accounts to post links to articles and take control of the discussion. This effort at the time was run under the innocuously labeled company Internet Research Agency. According to the documents, the company was set to receive a budget of $10 million in 2014, but of course this company only represents a fraction of Kremlin’s online propaganda efforts, which have skyrocketed over the past couple of years, owing to Russian intervention in Ukraine.
The Kremlin coordinates closely with these companies, adding yet another similarity it holds with Correct the Record. Normally, Super PACs are not allowed to coordinate with candidates, but Correct the Record has taken advantage of a Federal Election Commission loophole to do just that.
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