One of the strangest glimpses into the future of information warfare might be what’s happening in Jackson, Miss., where a man named Ramzu Yunus is trying to launch an independent nation for people of African descent on Facebook.
His secessionist movement — while very local and very fringe — already has the backing of an intricate, global cross-platform propaganda network called the Russophere.
Last year, Yunus tried to drum up support for a similar separatist movement in Detroit, and has touted support from Russia on his Facebook page. In Texas, a different Russian influence campaign is amplifying calls for a “Texas secession” and an imminent “civil war” over the border crisis.
What might seem from the outside like an eccentric group of grassroots campaigns is a new front for a global pro-Russia disinformation operation — one that extends to the developing world as well, according to a new report by UK-based AI intelligence group Logically
Thursday, February 22, 2024
Russia, Disinformation, and Secession
Mohar Chatterjee at Politico:
