If you thought NSO Group and their Pegasus spyware was bad… well you were right. But these assholes are possibly worse, and doing nothing but damage to societies that cannot be possibly defended with any excuse.
This is a very good video essay about the use of disinformation as a weapon by the KGB. Especially interesting, needless to say, given what's happening around the world in the last couple of years.
Everytime I hear someone I know who's reasonably smart and educated say something along the lines of "you don't know who to believe anymore"* regarding the news media, I am filled with a sense of dread over the effectiveness of these campaigns.
- Of course the answer is: "You should believe the news organizations that have been around for decades, have a staff of proffesional journalists, and excellent track record; not the crap you receive over WhatsApp or Facebook from questionable sources".
“This dashboard displays data about Russian propaganda efforts on Twitter in near-real time. Our analysts use the dashboard and other sources to discover Russian propaganda themes.”