Facebook finds and kills another 512 Kremlin-linked fake accounts

Two years on from the U.S. presidential election, Facebook continues to have a major problem with Russian disinformation being megaphoned via its social tools. In a blog post today the company reveals another tranche of Kremlin-linked fake activity — saying it’s removed a total of 471 Facebook pages and accounts, as well as 41 Instagram accounts, which […]

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Fake news ‘threat to democracy’ report gets back-burner response from UK gov’t

The UK government has rejected a parliamentary committee’s call for a levy on social media firms to fund digital literacy lessons to combat the impact of disinformation online. The recommendation of a levy on social media platforms was made by the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee three months ago, in a preliminary report following […]

View More Fake news ‘threat to democracy’ report gets back-burner response from UK gov’t

Russian hackers already targeted a Missouri senator up for reelection in 2018

A Democratic senator seeking reelection this fall appears to be the first identifiable target of Russian hacking in the 2018 midterm race. In a new story on the Daily Beast, Andrew Desiderio and Kevin Poulsen reported that Democratic Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill was targeted in a campaign-related phishing attack. That clears up one unspecified target […]

View More Russian hackers already targeted a Missouri senator up for reelection in 2018

The next Russian attack on U.S. elections could be more serious than Facebook memes

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This is not a drill. Nor, alas, is it the fever dream of a Cold War hack novelist, as much as it sounds like one. In 2017, Russian hackers gained control of the U.S. power grid to the point where they could cause blackouts. And the U.S. government doesn’t know if they’re still able to do it. 

Worse yet, there’s reason to believe this is part of an attack on the 2018 election — one that could make Russia’s pivotal 2016 shenanigans (its fake news machine, DNC email hacking, voter registration hacking and Facebook meme-making) look like child’s play. 

We learned about a Russian attack on American infrastructure when the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security released a report in March, but we didn’t know how bad it was until a DHS briefing on Monday. Hundreds of utility companies had fallen victim to the hackers; there may be many more out there that have been hacked and don’t know it. Energetic Bear managed to get into the control rooms of power stations, even into supposedly secure “air-gapped” networks, via vendors.  Read more…

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View More The next Russian attack on U.S. elections could be more serious than Facebook memes

Welp, here’s a photo of a Putin impersonator riding a bronze bull covered in dildos

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A shirtless Vladimir Putin impersonator riding a bronze bull covered in dildos sounds like the beginning of a NSFW joke. In fact, it is a real thing that actually happened on Monday.

As an act of resistance, a Washington, D.C. ramen shop owner named Jeff Jetton pulled on a mask of the Russian prime minister’s and mounted the famous Charging Bull statue located on Wall Street in New York City, which he plastered with 130 sex toys.

“Anybody who tells you sex toys aren’t good tools of resistance has never had a bag of dicks and a little bit of ingenuity,” Jetton told Mashable via Twitter DM. Read more…

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View More Welp, here’s a photo of a Putin impersonator riding a bronze bull covered in dildos

Trump accidentally reveals misspelled note to self during press conference

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Forget protecting his country, Trump can’t even protect his own notes. 

The President held a brief press conference on Tuesday in an attempt to clean up the mess he made when he buddied up with Russian President Vladamir Putin on Monday — remember when he threw his own country’s intelligence agencies under the bus? 

Trump tried to use the terrible excuse of a “double negative” to explain his earlier refusal to condemn Putin for Russia interfering in the 2016 US elections. But while he was talking to reporters on Tuesday Trump left his written remarks exposed, because he’s clearly demonstrated he can’t hold a presser without going off the rails. Read more…

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Arnold Schwarzenegger says Trump was a ‘little wet noodle’ in Putin press conference

There is nothing more devastating than Arnold Schwarzenegger calling you a “wet noodle.”
That’s the sick burn dropped by the Hollywood star and former governor of California on President Trump following his widely criticized press conference with Rus…

View More Arnold Schwarzenegger says Trump was a ‘little wet noodle’ in Putin press conference

Trump-Putin press conference gets a roasting from late show hosts

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President Donald Trump’s rather disturbing joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin was always going to be skewered by late-night hosts.

And they did not disappoint.

Following the presidents’ double address in Helsinki on Monday, The Daily Show‘s Trevor Noah didn’t hold back. Before the show, the team pointed out what Russia and America both got out of the summit:

What Russia got:
– total capitulation from Trump
– exoneration for past meddling
– permission to meddle in future

What America got: pic.twitter.com/n4BTIvRzf0

— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) July 16, 2018 Read more…

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View More Trump-Putin press conference gets a roasting from late show hosts

Trump’s meeting with Putin was so bad that people are calling it the #TreasonSummit

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Trump’s presidency, as usual, is a roller coaster. 

Trump led a stunning press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their summit in Helsinki on Monday, criticizing Mueller’s investigation as a “a disaster for our country.” He also said he “doesn’t see any reason why” Russia would be responsible for hacking the DNC and interfering in the 2016 presidential election. 

The summit’s timing is awkward — it’s taking place just three days after the Department of Justice, led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, indicted 12 Russian intelligence operatives for meddling with DNC servers and confirming foreign involvement in the 2016 email leak. Read more…

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View More Trump’s meeting with Putin was so bad that people are calling it the #TreasonSummit

Anderson Cooper slams Trump’s press conference with Putin as ‘disgraceful’

After President Donald Trump and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s historic joint press conference in Helsinki this afternoon, a few strong words began to circulate on Twitter: “indefensible,” “puppet,” and “treasonous,” for example.
If those w…

View More Anderson Cooper slams Trump’s press conference with Putin as ‘disgraceful’