Russia-linked bots circulated pro-gun messages on Twitter in wake of Florida shooting

Russia-linked propaganda bots spread a pro-gun messages on Twitter in the wake of the deadly mass shooting that took place at a Florida high school.

Groups dedicated to tracking Russia-linked Twitter accounts and bots — including the Alliance for Securing Democracy via its bot tracker Hamilton 68 — on Thursday reported a surge in tweets related to gun control, the NRA, shooting, and a number of other related topics after Wednesday’s massacre that claimed 17 lives in Parkland, Fla.

Ash Bhat of Botcheck.me told Wired that in many cases, the bots create hashtags during times of breaking news, such as #guncontrolnow and #guncontrol, and use their bots to get it trending, often spreading misinformation. “Over time the hashtag moves out of the bot network to the general public,” Bhat said.

In the past, Russians have used fake accounts to spread discord on both sides of the debate in the United States in regards to heavily contested issues such as the 2016 election, the House Intelligence Committee memo, and police violence.

Read more at WashingtonExaminer.com