Bot-like accounts on X fuel U.S. political conspiracies, watchdog says

spread misinformation and hate

Blueanon, which claims that Trump staged being shot at, has exploded on social media.

Alex Jones got sued for a billion dollars when he claimed that an event was a hoax.

Blueanon should be held to the same standard.

Last week, Musk -- who recently endorsed Trump -- himself faced a firehose of criticism for sharing a deepfake video featuring Harris on X, which tech campaigners said violated the platform's own policies.

I would say it is ironic given Musk's rhetoric when buying Xitter of making it 'maximum truth seeking' and removing bots and fake news and influencers but it actually isn't.

Like most rightists all their criticisms are projections.

With Musk being the latest mascot acquired by the MAGA gang, anything can happen on Twitter..

We also know that he's not above manipulating Twitter's functions behind the scenes, like when he ordered engineers to boost his tweets.

FREE SPEECH ABSOLUTIST ELON MUSK KEEPS USING X TO SUPPRESS VIEWS HE DOESN'T AGREE WITH "Seems like [Elon Musk] is a little scared"

https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-suspends-kamala-harris-supporter

And as WaPo notes, this isn't even the first time an account supporting the Harris campaign suspiciously stopped working. When President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race last month, X users reported that they were blocked from following Harris's official campaign account, @KamalaHQ.

There's also Musk's history of using his power on the platform — and elsewhere — to personally intervene into political and even geopolitical affairs. Given that he shamelessly shared a racist, AI-doctored video of Kamala Harris just the other day, we wouldn't rule out Musk minorly screwing with supporters of his latest political enemy, either.

Interesting all of these bots favor trump and try to smear democrats. Who’s paying these troll farms: China, Russia, or trump himself, likely all 3.

The people deserve to know.

I find it interesting this article gets posted and the timing is interesting.

It comes right after the less publicised META and Google "problems" and Musk's accusations of both these of blocking Trump searches and promoting Harris.

Both META and Google admitted "problems" with goggle claiming it's system did what it did because of its "blocking violence" and META saying it's AI was having "hallucinations.".

In a nutshell, Google searches about Trump association or Trump Rally would return results top results of Harris Rally etc ..

https://nypost.com/2024/08/02/business/google-slammed-after-search-for-trump-rally-yields-pro-kamala-harris-results-faces-accusations-of-political-interference/#:~:text=Google%20was%20accused%20of%20skewing,attempt%20on%20the%20former%20president.

And META AI would

Meta's AI chatbot was initially programmed to not answer questions about the assassination attempt against Trump, the company said.

After Meta updated the bot to give a response, in some instances, it claimed the shooting didn't happen.

https://www.businessinsider.com/meta-ai-hallucinated-that-the-trump-assassination-attempt-didnt-happen-2024-7

There have been many complaints with META who own Facebook and Instagram.

Removal of Trump photos after the assassination attempt claiming the photos were AI generated/fake etc...

Most interesting is how well buried the two cases above are/were in the news but how this story is top news everywhere.

Despite not being a Trump supporter or even liking the guy, I am finding it difficult to believe that META and Google problems were just "mistakes" and why is this much attention on X but these 2 problems just barely get a mention.

Not surprising depromoting violence and disinformation would result in Trump rallies being consigned to oblivion.

TaiwanIsNotChina

Today 05:45 pm JST

Not surprising depromoting violence and disinformation would result in Trump rallies being consigned to oblivion

So you support press and big corporate censorship!

Good to know

AntiquesavingToday 05:58 pm JST

So you support press and big corporate censorship!

Good to know

We live in very fraught times with people seeking out the lowest common denominator when it comes to news. Since Trump spreads obvious falsehoods, I don't feel too bad about his content being littered with AI corrections at a minimum.

TaiwanIsNotChina

Today 06:03 pm JST

AntiquesavingToday 05:58 pm JST

> So you support press and big corporate censorship!

> Good to know

> We live in very fraught times with people seeking out the lowest common denominator when it comes to news. Since Trump spreads obvious falsehoods, I don't feel too bad about his content being littered with AI corrections at a minimum

But if it was doing it to Harris, you would be yelling at the top of your lungs that it was unfair undemocratic, illegal, etc...

We call that hypocrisy.

Either you are OK with it for all sides or against it for all sides but you have a selective view of your precious democracy basically if it benefits your side it is OK but not if it benefits the other side.

AntiquesavingToday  05:41 pm JST

I find it interesting this article gets posted and the timing is interesting.

It comes right after the less publicised META and Google "problems" and Musk's accusations of both these of blocking Trump searches and promoting Harris.

You're absolutely right. Trump isn't supposed to be here now, so after their failed assassination attempt the establishment is doubling down on their efforts to smear any and all opposition to their chosen candidate. If Trump had died, Biden would still likely be their next candidate. But their failure set them into panic mode. You can see this in the 1984-ish promotion of Harris and whitewashing her poor record as VP and as a lawyer, something akin to, as I said the other day, "Kamala Harris has always been the best candidate." Except when nobody cared about her last time and whoever was handling Biden got her parachuted into the running mate slot.

This very "article" is an example of the Operation Mockingbird-ish attempts to manipulate public opinion. Who's putting them in is anyone's guess, but there's an obvious concerted effort to reframe Harris as competent and demonise anyone who opposes her as sexist, racist and/or "far-right" - whatever that's supposed to mean these days. JT is full of these Harris puff pieces and anti-Trump smears. Operation Mockingbird itself, once considered a "conspiracy theory," was revealed publicly and proved the theorists right.

Trump himself is a deeply flawed individual, as we all are to varying degrees. I'm disappointed at his lack of achievement and some of his personnel picks the first time around, But like him or loathe him, he represents a bulwark against people who see us basically as cattle. So to you folks who loathe him and want Harris or whoever else the Ds pick to run against Trump, the people you're supporting don't give a hoot about you. Why support them? This is not so much a left vs right thing as an establishment vs regular people thing. Malice vs virtue. Even if Trump does manage to win, they won't leave him alone, and we'll cop the fallout.

So do yourselves a favour: have a nice cool shower, a good sleep and come back tomorrow with a clear mind and begin teaching yourself to discern the dross from the truth.

Rampant conspiracies. Trump's assassin was a lone wolf young man with mental problems and easy access to guns.

wallaceToday  06:36 pm JST

Rampant conspiracies. Trump's assassin was a lone wolf young man with mental problems and easy access to guns.

I thought you were smarter than that, Wallace. Does the story as presented in the mainstream media fully make sense to you? If so, whatever. If you have just a tiny tingle of doubt, don't be afraid to scratch the surface.

Bad Haircut

Rampant conspiracies. Trump's assassin was a lone wolf young man with mental problems and easy access to guns.

I thought you were smarter than that, Wallace. Does the story as presented in the mainstream media fully make sense to you? If so, whatever. If you have just a tiny tingle of doubt, don't be afraid to scratch the surface.

Are we back to who killed JFK?

Wallace, do you really think you're getting the truth from the mainstream media and governments? These are the people who were swearing black and blue that Biden is mentally fit to hold office. Then all of a sudden he wasn't. And don't forget the absolute fiasco of the now former head of the Secret Service failing to give any straight answers to the Congressional inquiry about what happened when Trump was shot. Just those things alone should get your spidey senses tingling that all is not what it seems. You're a smart guy, been around for a while, and I assume you have some time on your hands. Why not invest some of it to satisfy your curiosity? I'm not intending to be a smarty-pants here, just inviting you to explore.

Bad Haircut

sorry it's a plain story of a lone wolf shooter. Unless real evidence is presented. The shooter is dead so we'll probably never know fully his motives.

Just like John Warnock Hinckley Jr. who attempted to assassinate U.S. President Ronald Reagan as he left the Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C., on March 30, 1981, two months after Reagan's first inauguration.

Bad Haircut

Today 06:58 pm JST

I don't believe the "establishment" or any other so-called group was behind the attempt on Trump.

You may be looking a little too hard for something that is not there.

I do believe something is fishy in the way it was handled and the press and those opposed to Trump and the literally fake news (yes this time actually fake news) and false information.

The MSM near instant publishing of "Trump falls after loud noise" headlines when all these news sites and channels had their reporters at the rally, the rumours "it was glass from the teleprompter" when all the videos and photos clearly showed 2 intacked teleprompters after, the continuation or the denial he was hit by the bullet despite all the evidence, the denials by the Secret service and lies by the then head of the service, including they didn't refuse requests for more security, then back tracking because they did refuse, then the FBI director saying in testimony hit by " shrap metal or bullet" only to later have to retract his testimony and confirm bullet as again no evidence of anything hit causing sharp metal.

The stonewalling on providing Congress with requested documents, and the list goes on

Then the press that has done everything to down play the incident including prominent new channel talking heads even hinting at it being a false flag by Trump himself or his party.

Now the META AI having " hallucinations" that it was fake, Google blocking information, etc...

No it wasn't a hit on Trump by anyone in power just a poor fool blaming his problems on someone else, but it sure looks like the MSM and those presently in power are trying to cover up major mistakes and down play to try and boost Harris for their own benefit.

It can be very tempting to ascribe what happened to Trump to incompetence rather than malice, I think in this case malice is plausible if difficult to prove. Ever since Trump was elected, his opponents could never accept his victory hand have been doing everything they could to undermine him or turf him out, ranging from fake news (Russiagate) to impeachment to lawfare. They all failed.

You can call me nuts, I don't care, but I think the same people at a high level were behind the assassination attempt. I think too many people underestimate the desire to gain and hang on to power at any cost, and are naive to think that our ostensibly democratic systems can't be manipulated to entrench or defend that power once gained. Sure, democratic systems and institutions make it harder, but not impossible, and human nature hasn't changed fundamentally in the last few hundred years. There will be charming psychopaths and sociopaths who find their way into positions of influence and will lie, steal, cover up and take advantage of loners and the disaffected to do their dirty work. Happens in every field of life and denying this is wishful thinking.

wallaceToday  08:05 pm JST

Bad Haircut

sorry it's a plain story of a lone wolf shooter. Unless real evidence is presented. The shooter is dead so we'll probably never know fully his motives.

Just like John Warnock Hinckley Jr. who attempted to assassinate U.S. President Ronald Reagan as he left the Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C., on March 30, 1981, two months after Reagan's first inauguration.

Simply because one shooter was a lone wolf doesn't automatically mean another was. Case by case.

Bad Haircut,

What do you think would have happened if the attempt had been successful? (Putting aside who may or not have been behind it) Open conflict? Civil war?

Bad Haircut

I will review your story after you post real viable evidence. Until then...........

Remember when Musk said he'd defeat the Twitter bots?

Another blow of hot air

lostrune2

Today 09:41 pm JST

Remember when Musk said he'd defeat the Twitter bots?

> Another blow of hot air

No different than Google or META.

They have all promised and failed, but only X makes all the front pages despite the fact the other 2 actually got caught and admitted to it although by making claims it was all some freak things or error.

How many times now that META/Facebook been caught manipulating things that always seem to be some error.

Or Google rigging the search results again alway an "error".

But you can bet if it is something connected to Musk the MSM will blow it up and ignore the other 2, could it be politics?

Just like John Warnock Hinckley Jr. who attempted to assassinate U.S. President Ronald Reagan as he left the Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C., on March 30, 1981, two months after Reagan's first inauguration.

Love your cut and pastes.

But you can bet if it is something connected to Musk the MSM will blow it up and ignore the other 2, could it be politics?

Musk turned platform into a far-right social media network.

How could it not be political?

Wallace, take a look at Chris Martenson’s (Peak Prosperity) detailed analysis videos of what happened on the day and subsequent statements by the authorizes. He doesn’t draw conclusions but presents credible evidence that the Secret Service knew this was going to happen, even if the local cops didn’t. At the very least, it should leave you question the official line that Crooks acted alone.

> HawkToday  09:17 pm JST

Bad Haircut,

What do you think would have happened if the attempt had been successful? (Putting aside who may or not have been behind it) Open conflict? Civil war?

Hard to say, but some sort of civil unrest I think. I doubt many Trump supporters would believe Crooks acted alone given all the treatment dished out to Trump over the last 7 years.

Stop blaming technology for what people do. Politicians and activists fuel political conspiracies everywhere and always have done. They didn't start when social media came along. It has always been accepted as part of free speech in a democratic society and silenced in dictatorships. Attacking social media for this is a separate agenda at play, one of censorship.

GBR48Today 01:16 am JST

Stop blaming technology for what people do. Politicians and activists fuel political conspiracies everywhere and always have done. They didn't start when social media came along. It has always been accepted as part of free speech in a democratic society and silenced in dictatorships. Attacking social media for this is a separate agenda at play, one of censorship.

We've never had traditional media or politicians be able to poison millions if not billions with falsehoods, at least in the free societies.

Remember when Musk said he'd defeat the Twitter bots?

Another blow of hot air

No different than Google or META.

They have all promised and failed

Yeah, but only one made a big deal about it that he'd win, lol

This is what happens when people boast like they're God's gift on Earth and crash back to reality

Lots of people are just ignorant and should be left with the consequences, people that cannot handle the truth are prone to being misled