Posted on 03/26/2015 7:55:01 AM PDT by WhiskeyX
More and more, posts and commentaries on the Internet in Russia and even abroad are generated by professional trolls, many of whom receive a higher-than-average salary for perpetuating a pro-Kremlin dialogue online.
There are thousands of fake accounts on Twitter, Facebook, LiveJournal, and vKontakte, all increasingly focused on the war in Ukraine. Many emanate from Russia's most famous "troll factory," the Internet Research center, an unassuming building on St. Petersburg's Savushkina Street, which runs on a 24-hour cycle. In recent weeks, former employees have come forward to talk to RFE/RL about life inside the factory, where hundreds of people work grinding, 12-hour shifts in exchange for 40,000 rubles ($700) a month or more.
St. Petersburg blogger Marat Burkhard spent two months working at Internet Research in the department tasked with clogging the forums on Russia's municipal websites with pro-Kremlin comments. In the following interview, he describes a typical day and the type of assignments he encountered.
(Excerpt) Read more at rferl.org ...
One of their pro-Putin teammates claimed to currently be in the FSB.
He was banned, I don’t know if he is our current Paid_Russian_Troll retread, or not.
The Russian military on the attack is part of that “world is falling apart”.
You seem obsessed with advancing Russian military interests and it seems to be your top issue here.
Welcome to the alternative reality of the Putinist. It’s no biggie when Russia invades a neighboring country, kills thousands and threatens nuclear war.
“I swear some of you have Putin Derangement Syndrome. With the world falling apart you are all worried about Russian Internet trolls.”
Why is that such a concern for you that you find it necessary to do everything in your power to change the subject to something critical about the United States and its allies while being an apologist for Putin and Russia?
Don’t you think Internet Research in St. Petersburg, Russia is operating covertly and dishonestly with false propaganda and disinformation designed to harm the United States and its allies?
“The Russian military on the attack is part of that “world is falling apart””
Petty hysterics...
If the Russian Military was really “on the attack”, you’d be posting that from a fallout shelter.
IF you could find a lead-lined computer.
Well no, Russia is on the attack, and I don’t need to be in a fallout shelter to discuss that.
You drop some whacky posts full of strange and goofy nonsense. It sure reveals how you come up with such twisted loyalties and theories.
Well no, Russia is on the attack, and I don’t need to be in a fallout shelter to discuss that.
You drop some whacky posts full of strange and goofy nonsense. It sure reveals how you come up with such twisted loyalties and theories.
Putinists parrot verbatim Russian propaganda. Word for word. Not an original thought in those empty heads.
They dare not depart from the party line or they lose their job and pay, and possibly earn a trip to visit Nemtzov, Politkovskaya, etc.
Well, I got news for ya, EVERYBODY does it now, from Russia, to Kiev, to Proctor & Gambel in Cincinnati.”
So If “everyone does it”, let's root for those financed by a foreign government run by “ex” KGB guy, the same one since nearly 20 years. Bombing London was not that bad because Berlin was bombed too, hey everyone did it :))))
The guy used an Obama-controlled, State Department-paid Propaganda source, to whine about a Russian-controlled, paid propaganda source.
If you can’t find the IRONY in that, I can’t help ‘ya.
I wonder if this plant in St. Petersburg has equipment, computers to disguise the trolls location.”
That facility is just the tip of the iceberg. I'm sure there are many similar ones and many much more sophisticated where they don't employ students off the street. Besides, internet trolling is just one of the “soft” tolls. Their “assets” (agents and useful idiots) in western media, business and governments are much more dangerous. Russia has been run by KGB since 16 years, they have never had that much influence, even during soviet times.
Many of them have a distinctly Russian way of speaking. I suspect either from being from Russia or spending their time in Russian info sphere. For example in Russia the US Department of State is one of the most important boogeymen and blaming opponents of being a “State Department agent” is as common as blaming their opponents being racist for lefties. Other sign is not understanding why they should not post articles from The Nation or The Morning Star here if they want to maintain their cover. Admins cured them of the later, but that just means the trolls had a chance to learn.
The Russkie Jane Fonda troll magnet has worked, most of them have shown up here in this thread to reveal what they are.
They are our enemies imo and I say piss on them and their soviet ideology. We are experiencing the re-branding of the Soviet empire and tactics to destroy our freedom from tyranny. They hate we are free and they get that warm tingly feeling of Soviet power to subjugate free people when they troll our forum.
Uh-huh...
Coming from a ukie troll, that’s actually pretty damn funny.
Speaking of, how did you observe the anniversary of Sashko Bily’s death?
Speaking of...
Which side have you chosen in the Ukrainian Oligarch’s Civil War??
The Poroshenko Bloc?
Or the Kolomoiski/Yarosh Bloc?
To put this discussion back on this thread’s topic of Professional Russian Internet Trolls; what is their favorite toothpaste, do they get a free lunch at work like borscht, and who are their favorite musical artists to listen to while at work at the Internet Research business in St. Petersburg, Russia?
“The guy used an Obama-controlled, State Department-paid Propaganda source, to whine about a Russian-controlled, paid propaganda source.”
Perhaps you should retract your above false statement. See:
Q. How is RFE/RL funded and managed?
A. RFE/RL is funded by the U.S. Congress through the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG). The BBG is a bipartisan federal agency overseeing all U.S international broadcasting services. In addition to RFE/RL, this includes Voice of America, Radio Free Asia, Alhurra, Radio Sawa, and Radio Marti.
Under IRS rules, RFE/RL is a private, nonprofit Sec. 501(c) 3 corporation. Chartered in Delaware, it receives federal grants as a private grantee. RFE/RL maintains a corporate office in Washington, D.C.
BBG Chairman Jeffrey Shell chairs the Board of Directors of RFE/RL, Inc. John Giambalvo and Nenad Pejic serve as Interim Managers of RFE/RL, Inc., following the departure on March 1, 2014 of President and CEO Kevin Klose.
Q. If the U.S. government funds RFE/RL, how can it be independent and unbiased?
A. This is a very important and crucial point: The U.S. government is not involved in RFE/RL’s operational or editorial decisions. Our governing board, the BBG, serves by law as a firewall to protect our editorial independence.
RFE/RL journalists provide straightforward, professional journalism, and the results are clear — our audiences trust us. The popularity of many of our programs reflects this: In Afghanistan, over 60 percent of the adult population listens to our programs, and Radio Farda’s website receives over 10 million page views every month.
http://www.rferl.org/section/FAQ/777.html#section9
Now, how about you return to the topic of this news article and thread by reporting who funds Internet Research of St. Petersburg, Russia and how those funds are disbursed.
“Speaking of, how did you observe the anniversary of Sashko Bily’s death?”
What does Sashko Bily have to do with the topic of this discussion about the Russian Internet Trolls at Internet Research in St. Petersburg, Russia?
That wasn’t to you, it was to the Right Sector fanboy, free_life.
I’m also curious how it will be celebrating the coming soon anniversary of the Odessa Massacre, as well.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.