Effort to Expose Russia’s ‘Troll Army’ Draws Vicious Retaliation

Re:Effort to Expose Russia’s ‘Troll Army’ Draws Vicious Reta... by woodandsteel on Monday May 30, 2016 @03:07PM (#11802583)

One reason that people are suspicious of Russia is that Putin and his state-controlled media have made clear his goal is to restore Russia, to the extent possible, to its former superpower geopolitical status, and there is no way that can be accomplished without a very aggressive foreign policy.

In addition, people in the West disapprove of Russia because of its highly oppressive human rights policies, including massive internet censorship, and also its fossil-fuels centered, crony-capitalism economics.

I feel sorry for the people of Russia. It seems to me that Putin has put them on a path that can't possibly succeed.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Effort to Expose Russia’s ‘Troll Army’ Draws Vicious Reta... by dijit on Monday May 30, 2016 @03:16PM (#11802616)

Britain is also enacting censorship of its internet. Although pushed by the government on ISPs and only for 'indecent content', who decides what's indecent? The government of course.

I don't see Russia being different in this regard, we just don't understand them and we understand the British.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Effort to Expose Russia’s ‘Troll Army’ Draws Vicious Reta... by woodandsteel on Monday May 30, 2016 @03:59PM (#11802834)

My view is that when it comes to internet censorship, and human rights in general, Britain has problems but on the whole is ten times better than Putin's Russia.

dijit, what is you position on this?

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Effort to Expose Russia’s ‘Troll Army’ Draws Vicious Reta... by dijit on Monday May 30, 2016 @04:11PM (#11802899)

I agree on that point. But remembering that British people know what freedom is, I believe that british people would push back harder than russians.

I believe the british government would try to get away with much more if it was in russias position. But that's my feeling and it's not founded in any facts.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Effort to Expose Russia’s ‘Troll Army’ Draws Vicious Reta... by woodandsteel on Monday May 30, 2016 @04:58PM (#11803159)

I agree with you about the different expectations. Putin can get away with being a dictator because the Russians have never had the experience of a well-functioning democracy.

But that is tied Russia's international history. When you need to be united against dangerous enemies, you need a strong-man ruler to suppress disagreement. And, going the other way, if domestic rule is having unpopular results like damaging the economy, then one way to get support is to tell the public the country is danger from abroad. So a paranoid view of the external world and an oppressive government are mutually reinforcing, and the Russian people, alas, have never known any other pattern.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Effort to Expose Russia’s ‘Troll Army’ Draws Vicious Reta... by guard-of-terra on Monday May 30, 2016 @03:23PM (#11802649)

Russian censorship of its internet is much more widespread.

And it is an official law, not some kind of recommendations or special cases or limited measures. "We don't like your site, we block it for good" - that's the law.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Effort to Expose Russia’s ‘Troll Army’ Draws Vicious Reta... by thrownaway1984 on Monday May 30, 2016 @03:22PM (#11802646)

The UK's censorship is still nascent compared to Russia's. (The mechanisms are all in place but the actual censorship remains relatively weak.)

[ Parent | on HN ]