Russian misinformation campaigns target health fears - 2019-05-30
Russian misinformation campaigns target health fears May 30, 2019,
Driving the news: Earlier this month, the New York Times reported that RT, the Russia-backed television network based in the U.S., has been peddling unverified stories claiming that 5G wireless technology can be linked to cancer, autism, Alzheimer's and other health problems.
"Hundreds of blogs and websites appear to be picking up the network's 5G alarms, seldom if ever noting the Russian origins," the Times notes. "Analysts call it a treacherous fog."
Earlier this year, the CDC attributed a rise in measles outbreaks to misinformation that fueled anti-vaccination sentiments.
A study from George Washington University professor David Broniatowski and his colleagues in October found that Russian trolls using sophisticated Twitter bot accounts were attempting to fuel the anti-vaccination debate by posting about the phenomenon — from both sides — at a far greater pace than the average user.