KPIX: Mueller Report Lays Out Social Media Companies’ Role In Election Interference. “Social media companies like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram became unwitting accomplices in a massive and sophisticated campaign by Russian agents to influence the 2016 Presidential election, according to the report by Special Counsel Robert Mueller that released Thursday by the Justice Department.”
Russia
ZDNet: Twitter bot activity spiked after the release of the Mueller Report
ZDNet: Twitter bot activity spiked after the release of the Mueller Report. “The activity of Russian-linked Twitter bots and trolls spiked after the release of the Mueller Report, George Kamide, Director at digital risk protection provider SafeGuard Cyber told ZDNet today. Kamide said his company observed a 286 percent increase in Russian bot and troll activity on Twitter following the public release of the long-awaited Mueller Report.”
The Verge: Russian lawmakers approve plan to take more control over internet traffic
The Verge: Russian lawmakers approve plan to take more control over internet traffic. “Russian lawmakers are moving ahead with a proposal to take further control over internet traffic in the country, The Associated Press reports. Under the proposal, Russian internet traffic would be required to be sent through servers in the country, according to the AP, giving the country more leverage to surveil and censor information. The bill was approved by the State Duma, and it will now head to the upper legislative chamber before going to President Putin’s desk for a signature.”
Ars Technica: DHS, FBI say election systems in all 50 states were targeted in 2016
Ars Technica: DHS, FBI say election systems in all 50 states were targeted in 2016. “A joint intelligence bulletin (JIB) has been issued by the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Bureau of Investigation to state and local authorities regarding Russian hacking activities during the 2016 presidential election. While the bulletin contains no new technical information, it is the first official report to confirm that the Russian reconnaissance and hacking efforts in advance of the election went well beyond the 21 states confirmed in previous reports.”
TorrentFreak: Russia Orders Major VPN Providers to Block ‘Banned’ Sites
TorrentFreak: Russia Orders Major VPN Providers to Block ‘Banned’ Sites. “Ten major VPN providers have been ordered by Russian authorities to begin blocking sites present in the country’s national blacklist. NordVPN, ExpressVPN, IPVanish and HideMyAss are among those affected. TorGuard also received a notification and has pulled its services out of Russia with immediate effect.”
BBC: Russia police probe ‘dark net’ murder case
BBC: Russia police probe ‘dark net’ murder case. “Police in Russia are investigating what could be the world’s first documented case of a contract killing ordered via the so-called dark net. High-ranking police investigator Yevgeniya Shishkina was shot dead outside her home near Moscow in October 2018.”
The New York Times: In Ukraine, Russia Tests a New Facebook Tactic in Election Tampering
The New York Times: In Ukraine, Russia Tests a New Facebook Tactic in Election Tampering. “Unlike the 2016 interference in the United States, which centered on fake Facebook pages created by Russians in faraway St. Petersburg, the operation in Ukraine this year had a clever twist. It tried to circumvent Facebook’s new safeguards by paying Ukrainian citizens to give a Russian agent access to their personal pages.”
