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Russian disinformation operation paid for pro-Ukraine war posts: Meta

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8 månader sedan

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augusti 4, 2022

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Facebook-parent Meta said a Russia-linked ‘troll farm’ hired people off the street to make comments online supporting that country’s invasion of Ukraine, only to have some of them slip in pro-Ukraine messages – Copyright AFP/File STR

A Russian outfit hired people off the street and paid them to post online comments intended to give the impression of grassroots support for Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, Facebook owner Meta said Thursday.

The internet has been one of the fronts in the internationally condemned war, with Russia seeking to squelch criticism and promote narratives in support of the attack on its neighbor.

The deception campaign on Instagram, Facebook and other platforms was run by a “troll farm,” a disinformation operation that Meta said included people previously associated with a notorious Russian influence group.

“We’re not talking about a dedicated band of patriotic trolls,” Meta threat disruption director David Agranovich told AFP. “They were faking it, people were literally being hired off the street.”

The effort came to light after a reporter for Russian news outlet Fontanka infiltrated the operation by getting a job at its St. Petersburg office, drawing Meta’s attention.

Some of the people involved in the troll farm were previously associated with the Internet Research Agency (IRA), a Russian group that has been linked to election meddling in the United States and other countries since at least 2016, Meta said.

US authorities have offered a $10 million reward for information on election interference, and specifically is seeking details on IRA.

Meta took down the network days after Fontanka reported in April about the group, which had advertised jobs for “spammers, commenters, content analysts, designers and programmers”.

The “poorly” run operation bore similarities to efforts by the IRA some nine years ago in the way it hired just about anyone to help with online deception, Meta global threat intelligence lead Ben Nimmo told AFP.

“It’s like 2013 is calling and it wants its troll farm back,” Nimmo quipped. “It’s built on people slumping on bean bags, being paid to run fake accounts and make these posts across the internet.”

Meta’s investigation found trolls aimed comments at people’s content on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, VKontakte and Odnoklassniki.

Trolls apparently worked in shifts seven days per week, got daily lunch breaks and were paid about $440 a month, Meta said.

A twist, Nimmo noted, was that operators also ran a public Telegram channel urging people to leave pro-Russian comments on posts by politicians, influencers or celebrities such as Angelina Jolie or Morgan Freeman then had their trolls tend to the task.

Meta even found instances of some of the hired trolls undermining the deception effort by sprinkling pro-Ukraine comments in with their work, Agranovich said.

Meta said it took down 1,037 Instagram accounts and 45 Facebook accounts involved in the disinformation campaign.

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MLB Twitter reacts to iconic sports gambling slogan being put on Baltimore Orioles scoreboard

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5 timmar sedan

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mars 30, 2023

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Baltimore Orioles presenterar Mike Elias - Nyhetskonferens

Sports gambling is becoming more and more prevalent in North American sports and is now an aspect of MLB marketing so much so, that the Baltimore Orioles put a recognizable sports gambling slogan on their scoreboard.

The slogan reads: “Good teams win, great teams cover”. This refers to a team winning by enough runs to cover the spread set down by the sportsbook.

The team is sponsored by Superbook Sports, an online sportsbook that accepts bets for multiple sports. It can be assumed that the slogan is on the board due to that sponsorship.

MLB has a long history of being fervently against sports gambling, which now seems to be changing with the times. Jacob Calvin Meyer, an Orioles reporter for The Baltimore Sun, shared an image of the slogan on the scoreboard to Twitter.

A new SuperBook Sports advertisement above the scoreboard with the slogan: “Good teams win, great teams cover.” https://t.co/6ucMkQ9smn

For many fans, this is a step over the line of what they are willing to accept in terms of gambling marketing. Having the reminder seen every day in the stadium is certainly a leap, which direction the leap is in is up for debate.

The slogan putting greater value on winning bets over winning games is certainly a different way to market the sport to new fans.

@jcalvinmeyer honestly, this is sickening. it’s the entirety of what’s wrong with sports gambling wrapped up in neat little ad copy

Increases in gambling-focused content can also be seen in the NHL and the NFL. This is not an MLB-only issue, and its severity will depend on fans who see it.

Some have no issues with it and want to see more, while others are bitterly against it. As this industry continues to grow, we will likely see more such examples of spirited fan reactions.

i am a proponent of legal sports betting but this is outta control twitter.com/jcalvinmeyer/s…

I’ve got plenty of thoughts on gambling on sports…. but that tagline being IN the ballpark is definitely gross. twitter.com/jcalvinmeyer/s…

Gives throwing games a whole new meaning. Pete Rose in the hall of fame yet? twitter.com/jcalvinmeyer/s…

MLB famously suspended Cincinnati Reds legend Pete Rose from the sport for life when news of his gambling came out. As gambling becomes more accepted in American society, it will be interesting to see if their stance wavers. Obviously, there is a big difference between a fan and a player gambling, so it is unlikely his status will change at all.

Beyond sending a bad message, This makes no sense. Baseball teams need to win to cover, most people don’t mean run line when talking baseball spreads twitter.com/jcalvinmeyer/s…

yeah, fuck this, and the message is dumb as hell twitter.com/jcalvinmeyer/s…

Baseball is changing a lot this season and the advancement of sports gambling is certainly a part of it.

2023 will be a pivotal year for MLB

With all the new rules focused on improving offense and making the game faster, 2023 could be a year of explosive growth for baseball. The success of the World Baseball Classic in March primed the sports world for more baseball.

MLB will endeavor to put together the best product they possibly can for audiences old and new.

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Google Removed 5.2 Billion Ads for Content Violations in 2022

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12 timmar sedan

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mars 30, 2023

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Google Removed 5.2 Billion Ads for Content Violations in 2022

If you wanted to get some perspective on the scope of content enforcement that large digital platforms deal with day-to-day, this will help. Today, Google has published its Säkerhetsrapport för annonser 2022, which outlines all of the ads and websites that Google took action against over the last year.

And the total amount of actions taken is pretty amazing.

Enligt Google:

"Our continued investment in policy development and enforcement enabled us to block or remove over 5.2 billion ads, restrict over 4.3 billion ads and suspend over 6.7 million advertiser accounts. And we blocked or restricted ads from serving more than 1.57 billion publisher pages and across more than 143,000 publisher sites, up from 63,000 in 2021.”

5.2 billion ads. That’s ‘billion’, with a ‘b’, which is also up 2 billion on ad removals in 2021.

Among the key reasons for blocking those billions of ads were trademark violations, legal requirements and misrepresentation within the promotions.

The top reason, however, as you can see, is ‘Abusing the Ad Network’, which essentially relates to spammers and scammers trying to use the system to dupe users.

Google also restricted a range of ads in these categories:

While Google also took action against a range of websites taking part in its AdSense program, which enables publishers to display Google ads on their sites.

The top reasons for these restrictions related to inappropriate and harmful content on these sites.

It’s an interesting overview of the online ads landscape, and the scale of activity required to protect users from scams and abuse. Google’s also removed over 50,000 YouTube channels and AdSense accounts created by China-based influence operations, among others, which is a whole other element of its content enforcement activity.

Spammers and scammers are always evolving their tactics, and as you can see, they remain extremely prolific.

The numbers underline the need for platforms to say vigilant, as they work to shield their audience.

You can read Google’s full 2022 Ads Safety Report här.

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Amidst potential TikTok ban, Triller surpasses 450m users across subsidiaries

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18 timmar sedan

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29 mars 2023

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Amidst potential TikTok ban, Triller surpasses 450m users across subsidiaries

Photo courtesy Triller

Opinions expressed by Digital Journal contributors are their own.

In the fast-paced world of social media, trends can come and go in a matter of days. But amidst the potential ban of the popular app TikTok, Triller has been making headlines for surpassing 450 million users across its subsidiaries.

Triller, known as the “smash-mouth marketing” social app, made waves in 2020 when it produced the highest-grossing digital PPV of all time with the Tyson vs. Jones fight. It also became the only app to ever hit number one in 80 countries due to then-President Trump announcing an imminent ban on TikTok. While the ban never materialized, Triller was hailed as the go-to replacement app if it were to occur.

But Triller is much more than just a TikTok replacement. Unlike the closed-garden system used by social media networks such as TikTok, Triller operates under an “open-garden” system where creators receive more than 70% of the money in the influencer ecosystem. This is a game-changing approach, as less than 1% of the over 500 billion dollars spent annually in the creator economy goes to creators on other platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

Triller’s proprietary AI toolset also ensures creators can monetize their content fully on other social networks. This means that even if creators post content on Triller, they can still benefit from it on platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, and Twitter. With Triller’s various technologies and affiliates, it’s able to produce as high as a 70% click rate, a remarkable feat in the world of social media.

Triller’s Chairman, Bobby Sarnevesht, has revealed that the platform has launched a seamless solution for users to migrate their content from TikTok to Triller via the domain transfertiktok.com. This one-click process allows users to transfer their TikTok accounts, content, and screen names to Triller in just a few minutes. This is an exciting development for Triller, as the US Government has pointed out that TikTok is, in fact, Chinese Communist Party spyware, making the ban now imminent.

As Triller positions itself as the go-to replacement app for TikTok, it has attracted hundreds of the world’s biggest celebrities and over 450 million registered users. In addition to celebrities driving Triller’s impressive numbers, its strategy to position itself as a music-based social media platform with a focus on creating and sharing music videos has helped attract a specific audience of music lovers who are interested in sharing their passion for music with others.

The acquisition of several other social media apps, including Verzuz, Julius, Fite.Tv and BKFC , has helped expand Triller’s user base and increase its reach, with over 2.5millon influencers connecting to 25,000 Brands and the only company to hold the unique distinction of 4 of the top 10 live shows ever held on Instagram. Furthermore, Triller’s user-friendly interface makes it easy for people to create and share videos. The app offers a range of editing tools, filters, and effects that allow users to customize their videos and make them more engaging.

While the potential TikTok ban is causing a stir, Triller is taking advantage of the situation by positioning itself as the best alternative platform for creators. As social media continues to evolve, Triller is leading the way in the new creator economy. With its focus on empowering creators and its innovative approach to monetization, Triller is a platform to watch.

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