MNHQ - do you think that there were Russian trolls operating on Mumsnet during the Brexit debates?

[kalapattar]

Given the recent indictment in the US?

Do you think there were posters deliberately trying to spread misinformation, promote certain messages etc who were based in the Russian Internet Research agency?

That's an interesting point.

Perhaps the FBI investigation may shed some light on that!!

I think there was definitely one person on MN who was VERY committed to Brexit, Trump and Corbyn. This same poster mysteriously vanished after the US election....

I think all kinds of organisations troll here. I'd be really surprised if advertisers weren't doing it.

I agree kalapattar. Threads would be taken over within minutes by a couple of users posting and posting without engaging until everyone else gave up. It was very very noticeable.

Without speculating on particular posters, I would be quite surprised if they hadn't deployed trolls to mumsnet; it's a huge audience, it's anomymous and we often discuss politics. Why wouldn't they?

I do wonder how much fake news went out on MN. Or how much of a particular theme was pushed.?

MN is influential.

There were some i had definitely suspicions about. Of course, it's possible they were genuine and just felt very, very strongly about Trump and Brexit etc - not everyone expressing nutty opinions have been paid to do so.

Half the Trans stuff is stirred up by Russian and Alt Right fake news peddlers.

Get the liberal lefties at each other’s throats.., Classic divide and rule. The two issues most dividing the Labour Party??

This is total rubbish comrades. Please go about the state's business in peace, and don't trouble your bourgeoisie heads with such thoughts again.

Meh, there has always been loads of astroturfers on MN.

Is it too much bear to think that maybe, just maybe, there are people out there that have different opinions to you?!

😮😮😮😮😮

Is it too much bear to think that maybe, just maybe, there are people out there that have different opinions to you

True.
But there was one particular poster who only seemed to post on Brexit and Trump threads and whose only role seemed to be to derail any conversation or debate.

Half the Trans stuff is stirred up by Russian and Alt Right fake news peddlers.

Don't be soft. This is mumsnet. Most of us are mums. We have intimate knowledge of what 'sex' and 'woman' mean.

I agree with kalapattar. I’ve been on the Trump threads since the beginning (since he was on the campaign trail, at least) and I do feel there were a couple of posters that derailed threads in an unusual way. They changed names but I came to recognise their style. The reason I think they may have been bots and not simply extreme right-wing voters - and I’ve thought this for at least a year - is their consistency of view and language was slightly off, and they would disappear abruptly when challenged, to not reappear for some months.

Pencils; I mean tne trans stuff that winds us up! Not our resistance!

I think there were. And have been since. And I think we do need to protect our spaces of conversation and debate in a different, more aware, way from the very ill-intentioned. They're of a different order to the astro-turfers and standard poli-trolls.

Doubt it was just the Russians, Dominic Cummings, Director of Vote Leave loves that sort of meddling with social media.

Yy.

It was interesting reading the stuff about Russia. How they would argue both sides of a debate to attract followers who would then retweet their tweets and be drawn to particular sides of an argument.

Checking sources and ensuring that the stories and news you post and retweet is really important - or else people end up amplifying fake / misleading news and facts.

Who knows who is trying to influence and mislead people on MN and other social media sites?

I really don't believe people can be that easily swayed

If social media has no influence on people's thinking, then what's the point in all these big debates on any form of social media?

@Glamourgates I did!
I was all for Brexit (yes, I know 🙄)
Then I saw a debate on facebook. I realised I was really not educated in politics enough. I looked into all the points debaters gave and I changed my mind. Luckily before voting.
Had I not have been on social media that day I would have voted in favour of Brexit!
So yes, I think those who are not really aware of what brexit meant could have easily been persuaded both ways!
The pro brexit brigade gave such strong and believable points that I can imagine some were swayed towards it! Some people may not have done what I did and looked into each point! Some people may have read the points and had taken it as gospel.

Now, I will go and hang my head in shame for once thinking brexit was a good idea!

Of course the low information voters can be swayed by posts on social media. It's one of the most effective ways to get someone who doesn't usually participate in politics to vote the way you want. I feel sure there are and has been Russian or Leave related interference here. I too remember the poster who loved Trump and Brexit who rang alarm bells for me.