The Russia connectionU.S. Government Agencies Want to Know More about Russian Trolling
Two Clemson researchers have been compiling and analyzing the tactics and strategy of social media accounts created by a Russian agency whose goal is to interfere in the U.S. electoral process. The Russians’ “troll factory” is housed in St. Petersburg in the now-famous government-linked Internet Research Agency (IRA). “What the IRA is attempting to do through social media channels is create a one-sided agenda through a marketing campaign,” one researcher said. “It’s not espionage, it’s essentially a guerrilla marketing campaign.” DHS, the U.S. Cyber Command, and other U.S. government agencies want to more about the researchers’ findings.
Research by two Clemson University professors on Russian social media trolling has drawn the interest of U.S. agencies charged with protecting the country’s national security.
Patrick Warren, associate professor in the John E. Walker Department of Economics and Darren Linvill, associate professor in the department of communication, have shared their extensive research on Russian social media disinformation campaigns with the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee, the Department of Homeland Security, other federal law enforcement agencies and more recently, U.S. Army Cyber Command.
A spokesman for U.S. Army Cyber Command confirmed that Linvill and Warren have provided the Army’s cyber unit with valuable information on their research into foreign cyber saboteurs’ social media campaigns aimed at influencing U.S. political discourse and electoral processes.
“Clemson professors Linvill and Warren provided a great professional development presentation to the Army Cyber team. It was an excellent exchange of information with our developers and operational planners,” said Charlie Stadtlander, communications director for the unit. “Clemson’s cutting-edge research in cyberspace and social media information activities is well-recognized. With valuable input from professors Warren and Linvill and leading thinkers from other leading U.S. academic institutions, Army Cyber Command will exhaust all avenues in defending our military networks and critical U.S. infrastructure against global cyber threats.”
Linvill and Warren were contacted by the Army Cyber Command while the agency was on campus recruiting. “They had heard about our work on the radio and contacted us about sharing our research with the Army’s cyber unit,” Warren said.
Clemson says that since late 2017, the Clemson researchers have been compiling and analyzing the tactics and strategy of social media accounts created by a Russian agency whose goal is to interfere in the U.S. electoral process. The Russians’ “troll factory” is housed in St. Petersburg in the now-famous government-linked Internet Research Agency (IRA).
“What the IRA is attempting to do through social media channels is create a one-sided agenda through a marketing campaign,” Warren said. “It’s not espionage, it’s essentially a guerrilla marketing campaign.”
