Russians ‘used Pokémon to meddle in US politics’

RUSSIAN cyber experts used the smartphone game Pokémon Go in attempts to interfere in US politics, according to an investigation by CNN.

Under the banner of Don’t Shoot Us, a collective that seemed to share the aims of Black Lives Matter but which is believed to have been run by Russians, online participants were encouraged to use the game to inflame racial tensions.

Players were told to visit real-world sites where police brutality had been recorded, and give their Pokémon characters names of victims, such as Eric Garner, who died on Staten Island. The winners of the Pokémon contest would receive Amazon gift cards after sharing images on social media, the Don’t Shoot Us site claimed.

CNN said it had no evidence of anyone claiming the prize. “It’s clear from the images shared with us by CNN that our game assets were appropriated and misused in promotions by third parties without our permission,” Niantic, the makers of Pokémon Go, said in a statement provided to CNN.

A source told CNN the Don’t Shoot Us Facebook page was one of the 470 accounts taken down after they were connected to the Internet Research Agency, a Kremlin-linked “troll farm”.