Anonymous users dominate right-wing discussions online and spread false information

I'm not sure what you hyperlinked but I backed out quick...

Do you have any articles people can read without potential viruses or other problems?

Or perhaps more information from the article itself so we don't have to be promoted to download apps?

Hazelelponi said:

I'm not sure what you hyperlinked but I backed out quick...

Do you have any articles people can read without potential viruses or other problems?

Or perhaps more information from the article itself so we don't have to be promoted to download apps?

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Agreed. I have an ad blocker, but Yahoo is notorious for ads.

essentialsaltes said:

Anonymous users are dominating right-wing discussions online. They also spread false information

As the presidential election draws nearer, the spread of bogus information online is getting a huge boost from social media accounts that have been created anonymously.

apnews.com

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Man, Yahoo News is slow to load, and my ad blocker worked overtime on that site. Thank you for changing the link to AP News. But yeah, back to the topic. Before Elon Musk bought Twitter (now known as X), there was some form of moderation. Now, X has become a cesspool for false information.


Alright, here is a summary of the article:

The article by Ali Swenson and Melissa Goldin, published on April 6, 2024, discusses the spread of false information on social media platforms regarding voter registrations in three crucial states for the presidential contest. A pseudonymous user on X (formerly known as Twitter) claimed that government websites had revealed "skyrocketing" rates of voters registering without a photo ID in Texas, Pennsylvania, and Arizona. This claim quickly gained widespread attention and engagement from public figures such as Elon Musk, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Donald Trump.

However, state election officials soon found that the user had distorted Social Security Administration data and that actual voter registrations during the time period cited were much lower than the numbers being shared online. Yet, by the time they tried to correct the record, the false claim had already spread widely, amassing over 63 million views on X.

The article highlights how social media accounts that shield the identities of those behind them have come to dominate right-wing political discussion online and spread false information. These accounts enjoy a massive reach due to engagement algorithms, social media companies reducing efforts to remove phony or harmful material, and endorsements from high-profile figures like Musk. Many of these internet personalities identify as patriotic citizen journalists uncovering real corruption but worry experts due to their ability to spread misinformation while disguising their true motives.

The incident sheds light on how these accounts exploit the history of trust in American whistleblowers and anonymous sources, creating an allure of covertness. The claim that spread online this past week misused Social Security Administration data to create a false narrative about people who entered the U.S. illegally registering to vote with stolen Social Security numbers.

The article also discusses how accounts that do not disclose the identities of those behind them have thrived online for years, gaining followers for their content on politics, humor, human rights, and more. The meteoric rise of a group of right-wing pseudonymous influencers who act as alternative information sources has coincided with a decline in public trust in government and media.

These influencers frequently spread misinformation and otherwise misleading content, often in service of recurring narratives such as alleged voter fraud, the "woke agenda," or Democrats supposedly encouraging a surge of people through illegal immigration to steal elections or replace whites. They often use similar content and reshare each other's posts.

Since his takeover of Twitter in 2022, Musk has nurtured the rise of these accounts, frequently commenting on their posts and sharing their content. He also protects their anonymity and rewards high engagement with financial payouts. The X user who spread the false information about new voter registrants has racked up over 2.4 million followers since joining the platform in 2022 and reported earning more than $10,000 from X's new creator ad revenue program.

Tech watchdogs argue that while it’s critical to maintain spaces for anonymous voices online, they shouldn’t be allowed to spread lies without accountability. Companies must enforce terms of service and content policies that promote election integrity and information integrity generally. The success of these accounts shows how financially savvy users have deployed the online trolling playbook to their advantage, getting people enraged and fueling engagement and financial rewards. Some pseudonymous accounts on X have used their brands to build loyal audiences on other platforms, from Instagram to the video-sharing platform Rumble and the encrypted messaging platform Telegram. It's concerning that many Americans place their trust in these shadowy online sources without thinking critically about who is behind them or how they may want to harm the country.

AlexB23 said:

Agreed. I have an ad blocker, but Yahoo is notorious for ads.

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That one was trying to make me download an app to even read the article... I couldn't figure it out at first so I cleared cookies and tried again but it happened the second time too..

Don't know what that was... But if that was an ad it's the most invasive I've ever seen..

essentialsaltes said:

Link changed.

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[ Correction, article did make a light mention in support for anonymous speech and said that this isn't about people remaining anonymous but rather about people telling untruths at the very end of the article which I hadn't read to. They are still upset Twitter allows free speech]

Thanks, much appreciated.

Okay, so I haven't read the article through but I noticed a couple points.

First, the article is discussing a particular poster without telling you the verbatim of what the post said and there's no links to the post in question.

Second, they said the information was false, and linked to what is probably typical support sources for the position.

I think if we can't fact check the fact checkers, we can't make a determination about the X poster who is spreading so-called "misinformation".

But checking for facts in this article isn't the point, it's that people like you and I shouldn't be able to have anonymous identities on social media.

And that premise I'll fight you over. Doesn't matter if anonymous people can speak lies... What matters is whether people have the right to anonymous speech and I absolutely 100% believe we do.

Benjamin Franklin and other of our founding fathers often utilized anonymous speech themselves..

And this is where I stopped reading. Was at the realization this article is trying to convince you anonymous speech is a bad thing.

Who cares if I go by Hazelelponi or my real name?

I think the only people who really care are those who will do me harm.

Look at former Muslims who have to live and move for the rest of their lives with armed private security to protect them. No... Just no. I don't have the money.

I'll be anonymous. And I'll fight for the right to speech that is anonymous.


*** P.S. when I say "fight" I don't mean hitting people, I mean argue verbally. I don't hit people... I just thought maybe I should clarify.

Hazelelponi said:

That one was trying to make me download an app to even read the article... I couldn't figure it out at first so I cleared cookies and tried again but it happened the second time too..

Don't know what that was... But if that was an ad it's the most invasive I've ever seen.

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I recommend that you install uBlock Origin. It is an ad blocker for Firefox and Chrome. Works like a charm.

AlexB23 said:

I recommend that you install uBlock Origin. It is an ad blocker for Firefox and Chrome. Works like a charm.

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Thanks so much!

Hazelelponi said:

Thanks so much!

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You are welcome. Just doing my duties here, helping a fellow friend out.

...

essentialsaltes said:

That's a bizarre takeaway from the article. That is not the point.

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That's how I'm reading it..

But Nikki Haley just made that one of her positions in her presidential bid, so it's fresh in my mind.

The Elite left and right, are starting to make a push to remove anonymous speech from the Internet.

They want people to have to register for the internet and then you have to use your real name when posting.

They believe it will change the internets tune... Which it would.

But.. no.. I'm not for this new push

If you keep your eyes out more articles like this will come out more often... They'll be geared against anonymity or around anonymity.

They want to change public opinion.

essentialsaltes said:

The X user who spread the false information about new voter registrants has racked up more than 2.4 million followers [and thousands of dollars in X creator ad revenue] since joining the platform in 2022.

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Let's see.....Christian Forums, a for profit entity, whose members are based on anonymity has an anonymous poster (me) replying to a post by another anonymous poster (essentialsaltes). Twitter/X lite anyone?
Are there people who spread false info here?......you betcha......

civilwarbuff said:

Let's see.....Christian Forums, a for profit entity, whose members are based on anonymity has an anonymous poster (me) replying to a post by another anonymous poster (essentialsaltes). Twitter/X lite anyone?
Are there people who spread false info here?......you betcha......

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Are you in favor of removing anonymity from the Internet?

Do you think it would stop people from speaking? Or just put everyone in danger from the nuts?

Some people die, lose jobs, spouses etc when they are doxxed .. do you think it's right?

essentialsaltes said:

Certainly. To its credit, CF has made it against the rules to spread █████ conspiracy theories and misinformation.

Other kinds of misinformation has to be handled ad hoc by the users (or not).

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I took an eye break and went back to the article and read it completely through instead of stopping.

And your kinda right, after the very very long rant about the evils of anonymous speech online, they did say they knew that there's some good in upholding anonymity... (3rd paragraph from the end of the article, light mention).

But that people shouldn't be allowed to say things that aren't true.

Yeah... That's not happening because the arbiters of Truth aren't coming out of the government, Twitter, Facebook, the media, or any other such entity.

But I will say, the most hilarious part of the article was this:

"The art of trolling is to get the other person enraged,” he said. “And we now know getting someone enraged really fuels engagement and gives you followers and so will get you paid. So now it’s sort of a business.”

This was the complaint the article made against the people on the right who like to post anonymously.

Which is funny, because that's the complaint I assume most of America has against the media.

It's why I stopped watching the news. It's all rage and anger and lies... I don't need or want that in my life.

And this article proves it. Nikki Haley ran against anonymity... It's fresh in my head so the very long rant railing against anonymity made me react, and close the article.

But the headlines get the click and the ad revenue, plus gets the engagement because it is upsetting to people.

So really, AP in their article railing against these anonymous liars, do the exact same things...

The anonymous liars just took a page out of the Mainstream Media's book. That's all those types did.

Hazelelponi said:

Are you in favor of removing anonymity from the Internet?

Do you think it would stop people from speaking? Or just put everyone in danger from the nuts?

Some people die, lose jobs, spouses etc when they are doxxed .. do you think it's right?

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That wasn't my point at all.

Hazelelponi said:

"The art of trolling is to get the other person enraged,” he said. “And we now know getting someone enraged really fuels engagement and gives you followers and so will get you paid. So now it’s sort of a business.”

This was the complaint the article made against the people on the right who like to post anonymously.

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One thing is for certain: No matter who makes a post with a political/ideological position stated here (usually identified in the title of the article) we can be sure that certain people will show up and take their self-assigned roles and stake themselves out on that hill to die on......sure as the sun comes up. They seem to live for troll bait.

essentialsaltes said:

The X user who spread the false information about new voter registrants has racked up more than 2.4 million followers [and thousands of dollars in X creator ad revenue] since joining the platform in 2022.

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"Ricky Vaughn" tried this 8 years ago and is now on his way to prison.