Methods of countering disinformation. False personae with traction. Disinformation in Russia's hybrid war.

By the CyberWire staff

At a glance.

US Court limits Federal contact with social media companies.
The rage-baiter who never was.
Online news sites tied to the Wagner Group blocked in Russia.
Moscow and Kyiv trade accusations of plans to sabotage Zaporizhzhia.
Mr. Medvedev assures the world that the Russian Army is "modern and heroic."

US District Court rules to restrict some Federal contact with social media companies.

Judge Terry A. Doughty of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana ruled that some government agencies cannot engage with social media companies for “the purpose of urging, encouraging, pressuring, or inducing in any manner the removal, deletion, suppression, or reduction of content containing protected free speech.” Specifically, the ruling said that specified government organizations (a long list, but it includes both the FBI and CISA) "ARE HEREBY ENJOINED AND RESTRAINED from taking the following actions as to social-media companies:

"(1) meeting with social-media companies for the purpose of urging, encouraging, pressuring, or inducing in any manner the removal, deletion , suppression , or reduction of content

containing protected free speech posted on social-media platforms

"(2) specifically flagging content or posts on social-media platforms and/or forwarding such to social-media companies urging, encouraging, pressuring, or inducing in any manner for

removal, deletion, suppression, or reduction of content containing protected free speech;

"(3) urging, encouraging , pressuring, or inducing in any manner social-media companies to change their guidelines for removing, deleting, suppressing , or reducing content containing protected free speech

"(4) emailing,calling,sending letters ,texting,or engaging in any communication of any kind with social-media companies urging, encouraging ,pressuring, or inducing in any manner for removal, deletion, suppression ,or reduction of content containing protected free speech;

"(5) collaborating, coordinating, partnering, switchboarding, and/or jointly working with the Election Integrity Partnership,the Virality Project,the Stanford Internet Observatory, or any like project or group for the purpose of urging, encouraging, pressuring, or inducing in any manner removal, deletion, suppression, or reduction of content posted with social-media companies containing protected free speech;

"(6) threatening , pressuring, or coercing social-media companies in any manner to remove,delete, suppress, or reduce posted content of postings containing protected free speech; Protected free speech means speech that is protected by the Free Speech Clause ofthe First Amendment to the United States Constitution in accordance with jurisprudence ofthe United States Supreme Court, Courts of Appeal and District Courts.

"(7) taking any action such as urging, encouraging, pressuring, or inducing in any manner social-media companies to remove, delete, suppress , or reduce posted content protected by the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution;

"(8) following up with social-media companies to determine whether the social-media companies removed, deleted, suppressed, or reduced previous social-media postings containing protected free speech;

"(9) requesting content reports from social-media companies detailing actions taken to remove, delete, suppress, or reduce content containing protected free speech; and

"(10) notifying social-media companies to Be on The Lookout ( BOLO ) for postings containing protected free speech."

The social media companies the government is enjoined from contacting include, but aren't limited to, Facebook/Meta, Twitter, YouTube/Google, WhatsApp, Instagram, WeChat, Sina Weibo, QQ, Telegram , Snapchat, Kuaishou, Qzone, Pinterest, Reddit, LinkedIn, Quora, Discord, Twitch, Tumblr, and Mastodon.

The ruling will make existing and planned government efforts against disinformation more complex and more difficult, but the main lesson from the decision is that no one, yet, has any good approach to the top-down regulation of disinformation that can assure people that it preserves a proper regard for right to freedom of speech.

(Added, 8:45 PM ET, July 6th, 2023. Asaf Kochan, President & Co-Founder of Sentra, wrote to express reservations about the court's ruling:

"The Federal ruling prohibiting agencies like CISA from moderating social media posts paints a picture that government officials want to lay the groundwork for a systematic campaign to control speech on social media. Some fear that giving the federal government the ability to engage with social media will increase the likelihood that they try to silence the opposing political party, but preventing authorities from taking any form of action against the spread of misinformation also poses a great risk for American democracy.

"In my opinion, this ruling is a prize for U.S. adversaries, as radical nations try to manipulate public opinion and decrease citizens’ confidence in government. American citizens have the right to engage in free debate about the significant issues concerning the country; that said, the need to defend freedom of speech must be balanced with the need to defend national stability and democracy.

"My view remains that social media platforms have a critical responsibility to take account of the impact their platforms have on the American people. This is especially important given the upcoming 2024 election and the possibility that foreign adversaries may tamper or manipulate with what’s factual; the unfortunate reality is that we live in a world where alternative facts spread like wildfire, so the federal government must try again to create a rule that better strikes the balance between the national interest of defending free speech and preventing disinformation.")

The rage-baiter who never was.

Still,she had a Twitter blue-check until last week. The Washington Post recounts the strange story of Erica March, a Twitter persona who expressed strongly progressive views (some of them almost parodically left-wing). Her tweets were sometimes cited by conservatives as an example of extreme left-wing positions. Twitter has removed Erica March's account after determining that her profile picture showed signs of manipulation, and that claims she made (having worked for the Biden and Obama campaigns, for example) couldn't be verified. She also had only a minimal presence apart from her Twitter account. The Twitter account's approach to growing followers was rage-baiting. Whether the account was motivated by political commitments or simply fraudulent follower-collection is unclear.

Online news sites tied to the Wagner Group blocked in Russia.

Last Friday the Russian Internet regulator Roskomnadzor blocked RIA FAN, Politics Today, Economy Today, Neva News, and People's News, all of which were tied closely to the Wagner Group. Working from the other side, Wagner Group boss Yevegny Prigozhin has dissolved the Patriot Media holding company, best known as the corporate parent of his troll farm, the Internet Research Agency (IRA). What effect this will have on IRA operations is as yet unclear; the troll farm may be acquired by another company. The Record reports that employees throughout Patriot Media were laid off with a bad severance package (that is, with no severance package). Should they return in some form, oligarch Yuri Kovalchuk, banker and owner of the National Media Group (NMG), is thought to be the most likely suitor for the IRA and Mr. Prigozhin's other now-blocked-and-shuttered properties.

Russia, Ukraine, trade accusations of plans to sabotage the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

Someone, probably Moscow, is lying with respect to intention to damage Europe's largest nuclear power facility. Moscow and Kyiv yesterday accused one another of planning to sabotage the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, thereby inducing a radiological incident comparable in scale to the late-Soviet disaster at Chernobyl. The plant is controlled by Russian occupation troops, but the Ukrainian staff remains on-site to look after its operation. As a safety precaution, the plant's six reactors have been shut down, but that doesn't remove the risk of contamination should the reactors be damaged in an explosion.

Ukrainian sources have warned that Russian troop withdrawals from the vicinity of Zaporizhzhia could be a precursor to a deliberately staged incident, the Guardian reports. Russian official media have downplayed the effects of an incident at the plant, saying that Russian troops were trained and equipped to operate without difficulty in a contaminated environment. (Few informed observers credit such claims.)

TASS quotes Leonid Slutsky, leader of the LDPR party and chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, on what Ukrainian action against Zaporizhzhia would look like: it would be a provocation, blamed on Russia. "Everything indicates that Zelensky intends to lay ‘his last card’ on the table ahead of the NATO summit and blow up the Zaporozhye NPP. The objective is monstrous - to use a nuclear terrorist attack in order to place the blame on Russia and force the collective West to get directly involved in the Ukraine conflict," Mr. Slutsky said. The Russian Foreign Ministry has also taken the line that Ukraine is preparing a provocation. Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova pronounced the warning. "Russia will continue to ensure protection of the ZNPP and will respond extremely harshly to any Ukrainian attacks on this facility," she said. "Once again, we call on the UN and IAEA management not to turn a blind eye to the situation around the ZNPP and to say it clearly who is to blame for the ongoing events and who actually poses a threat for security and functioning of this civilian facility."

Both sides can be wrong, if nothing happens at the plant, but of course they can't both be right.

TASS is authorized to disclose that the Russian Army is "modern and heroic."

The state news outlet is quoting Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev. His main point in a Wednesday interview was the improbable assertion that the only reason the Special Military Operation continued was because the malign West ("the US and its vassals") continued to arm Ukraine. If only they stopped, a peaceful solution would be arrived at in days. But his point about the quality of the Russian Army is the real disinformation here. The Russian Army has been a tactically inept, logistically hopeless, poorly led atrocity machine--hardly heroic. And its having reequipped itself with 1960s-vintage T-62 and 1950s-vintage T-55 tanks pulled from storage argues against its modernity.

Attacks, Threats, and Vulnerabilities

A viral left-wing Twitter account may have been fake all along (Washington Post) The Erica Marsh account shows how ‘rage baiting’ remains a powerful way to win attention and score political points

Special op to end in days if NATO stops shipping weapons to Ukraine — Medvedev (TASS) Meanwhile, the official underscored that the Russian army is "modern and heroic," even though it "experiences certain problems, like any army"

Kremlin warns of ‘high threat’ of nuclear sabotage by Ukraine (RT International) The threat of attempted Ukrainian sabotage of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant is high, the Kremlin has claimed

Zelensky set to blow up Zaporozhye NPP ahead of NATO summit, says senior Russian lawmaker (TASS) Leonid Slutsky said that "giving up their military support for the Kiev junta," which seeks to trigger a nuclear disaster, "would be much more effective than any words"

West eyeing Zaporozhye nuke incident as pretext for NATO entering Ukraine fight — official (TASS) "The counteroffensive [by Ukrainian forces] has stalled. Ukraine’s Western handlers are realizing that the country’s ruling clique is no longer capable of pulling off a win in the current situation and that the defeat of Kiev would spell defeat for them as well," Renat Karchaa said

Technologies, Techniques, and Standards

The promise of AI has delivered nothing but spam and fakery (The Telegraph) Tools such as ChatGPT won't bring about economic transformation

Legislation, Policy, and Regulation

Banks told to uphold free speech after blacklisting customers holding certain views (The Telegraph) Chancellor ‘deeply concerned’ about accounts being closed over controversial opinions

DoD looks to block Chinese and Russian influence on US academia (Military Times) The Pentagon released a list of foreign groups it says engage in problematic activities that threaten DoD-funded research at higher education institutes.

Litigation, Investigation, and Law Enforcement

Judge limits Biden administration in working with social media companies (AP News) A judge on Tuesday prohibited several federal agencies and officials of the Biden administration from working with social media companies about “protected speech,” a decision called “a blow to censorship” by one of the Republican officials whose lawsuit prompted the ruling.

Federal Judge Limits Biden Officials’ Contacts With Social Media Sites (New York Times) The order came in a lawsuit filed by the attorneys general of Missouri and Louisiana, who claim the administration is trying to silence its critics.

Judge blocks U.S. officials from tech contacts in First Amendment case (Washington Post) The Trump-appointed judge’s move could upend years of efforts to enhance coordination between the government and social media companies

Briefing: Court Blocks Biden Administration From Pressuring Social Media Firms Over Covid ‘Disinformation' (The Information) A judge on Tuesday granted a preliminary injunction preventing the Biden administration from pressuring social media companies to take down posts questioning the effectiveness of Covid vaccines, face masks, lockdowns, the accuracy of the Hunter Biden laptop story and the validity of the 2020 election. The judge said that during the Covid pandemic, the administration “seems to have assumed a role

Disinformation Researchers Fret About Fallout From Judge’s Order (New York Times) They said a restriction on government interaction with social media companies could impede efforts to curb false claims about vaccines and voter fraud.

Ruling Puts Social Media at Crossroads of Disinformation and Free Speech (New York Times) The case, which could alter how the government battles disinformation, is a flashpoint in a broader effort by conservatives to document what they contend is a liberal conspiracy to silence their views.

Judge limits Biden administration contact with social media firms (POLITICO) The ruling and order are the latest developments in a long-running lawsuit spearheaded by Republican-led states.

Judge limits Biden administration's communication with social media companies (NPR) A federal judge has restricted the Biden administration and some government agencies and officials from communicating with social media companies about certain content.

Federal judge issues injunction limiting officials’ ability to control disinformation (Record) In issuing the injunction, the judge singled out comments by CISA Director Jen Easterly. The ruling applies to actions by that agency, the Justice Department and more.

U.S. is barred from combating disinformation on social media. Here's what it means (NPR) Under a judge's new ruling, much of the federal government is now barred from working with social media companies to address removing any content that might contain "protected free speech."

Cyber agency faces heightened scrutiny with social media lawsuit (Washington Post) Debate over ‘First Amendment’ and ‘countering disinformation’ gets a key court ruling, with some cyber officials ensnared

White House accused of ‘massive’ attempt to censor Covid jab dissent (Telegraph) Court grants injunction against Joe Biden’s officials, pending ruling, over claims they urged social media firms to curb ‘vaccine hesitance’

The FTC wants to put a ban on fake reviews (The Verge) It would fine companies that buy and sell fake reviews.

After my banking travails, I fear Britain is lost (The Telegraph) Our large corporates have turned woke. If you stand up to new-think, you too can have your accounts closed and your life made impossible

Is a Landmark Supreme Court Religious Liberty Decision Premised on a Catfish? (The New York Sun) A man who is alleged to have requested a website for his gay wedding has been ‘happily married to a woman for 15 years.’ The ruling stands regardless.