It is clear from the reports that operation “Disrupt the Democratic Party” has begun. We must all come together to mitigate this. How? We must stick strictly to policy differences and let Democrats and Independents decide.
We must note that for too long corporations have had undue influence on the party. Yes, they are stakeholders and we must listen to their input. But we must ensure that we are biased to the average person and not the will of the corporation. We must remember that lobbied corporate policy by fiduciary responsibility is biased to the shareholders and not to the average American citizen.
‘Operation Divide the Left’: Analysis Shows 2020 Online Disinformation Campaign Already Well Underway
As the pool of candidates vying for the 2020 Democratic nomination for president continues to grow, so does a “sustained and ongoing” push to spread lies about them on social media—with one key aim being to sow division among progressive voters—according to an alarming Politico report published Wednesday.
Citing analyses by and conversations with data scientists and digital campaign strategists, the outlet reported:
Researchers and others interviewed for this story say they cannot conclusively point to the actors behind the coordinated activity. It’s unclear if they are rogue hackers, political activists or, as some contend, foreign state actors such as Russia, since it bears the hallmarks of past foreign attacks. One of the objectives of the activity, they say, is to divide the left by making the Democratic presidential primary as chaotic and toxic as possible.
Research by the pro-democracy tech firm Guardians.ai found that Sens. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) as well as former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas)—who has not formally announced his candidacy for president—appear to be the top targets.
“As it relates to information warfare in the 2020 cycle, we’re not on the verge of it—we’re already in the third inning.”
—Brett Horvath, Guardians.ai“It looks like the 2020 presidential primary is going to be the next battleground to divide and confuse Americans,” warned Guardians.ai co-founder Brett Horvath. “As it relates to information warfare in the 2020 cycle, we’re not on the verge of it—we’re already in the third inning.”
The firm’s research revealed that over a recent month-long period, a small group of suspicious Twitter accounts generated much of the conversation about those four candidates on the platform—commentary that was amplified by a larger collection of accounts.
From the analysis, Horvath told Politico, “we can conclusively state that a large group of suspicious accounts that were active in one of the largest influence operations of the 2018 cycle is now engaged in sustained and ongoing activity for the 2020 cycle.”