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France uncovers a vast Russian disinformation campaign in Europe
(www.economist.com)
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this post was submitted on 13 Feb 2024
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I’m all for an open and free Internet, but at what point do we cut off bad actors whose largest “contribution” is to spread and manipulate through disinformation? I can’t imagine there’s a wealth of culture and good will coming out of Russia via the Internet today, but it seems I hear about this week after week.
The problem is it doesn't all come out of russia. They have operations in other countries as well.
Yeah I get that, but it’s more about stepping on the water hose.
The vast majority of Russian citizens are good people, you can chat with many of them on the fediverse to find out for yourself if you want to, and if you think that cutting them off from all communication with the outside world would help in any way you're out of your mind.
I never said the Russian people are bad. I said it seems the majority of Russian influence on the greater Internet seems to be motivated by ill intent. I was merely asking at what point do you take action to prevent them from: hacking our infrastructure, spreading disinformation, sowing discord and tilting our elections? Seems like a high price to pay to share memes on Lemmy if it means the Russian government has free rein to do as they please.
The comment about the lack of culture coming out of Russia and the suggestion that whatever you had in mind would be antithetical to "an open and free Internet" makes it look to me like you were proposing that Russia somehow being completely disconnected from the net would be no great loss. If that's not what you were proposing, what on earth did you mean?
Then enlighten me! Explain to me this great societal benefit we get from leaving them on the 'net. Because it sure seems 90% of what's coming out of Russia is: hacked infrastructure, spreading disinformation, sowing discord and tilting our elections. I understand that it's unfair to the Russian people, but at what point do we stop drinking the poison that is being dished out by their government? We shouldn't all be a victim to their government's motivations.
If you cut off russia from the internet, you will gain nothing. Because the FSB is clever enough to operate in other countries. Go to poland. Get a few SIM cards. Start a company in Kenia as a front and use it to funnel hacker into the internet. Rent a flat in Germany and get a landline. Ukraine already raided russian desinformation centers in their own country - they just did rent a flat and brought a few hundred phones with them.
Also, it's a hell of a lot easier to police inside our own borders. Guess what happens to the nice folks who run this shit within our borders?
Let's not pretend the amount of 'culture' forced upon us by the USA is that great either so the argument is dumb anyway.
This would also make it harder for russian based journalists to inform you of the evil of russia. There is no free security without losing freedon.
Or, more importantly, make it easier for the Russian propaganda machine to keep their own citizens isolated and completely at the mercy of state-run propaganda outlets.
Many also voted for Nadeschdin, yet he is not allowed to be president.