Canada reported as misinformation super-spreader
U.S. State Department focusing on ‘proxy’ third-party sites that help circulate conspiracies
Canadian Twitter accounts are among the top spreaders of fake and misleading pro-Russian articles from “proxy” websites, according to a U.S. State Department report and experts, who say there’s even more disinformation beneath the surface.
Russia’s information ecosystem, as described by the State Department, includes multiple “pillars” — state media, internet trolls and friendly third-party sites.
Some of those pillars, such as state media, are transparently linked to the Kremlin.
Others are third-party helpers who, wittingly or otherwise, promote messages the Kremlin wants out there by amplifying and cross-posting favourable stories, conspiracy theories and false information.
The entire communications ecosystem concerns American officials, especially leading up to the Nov. 3 election.
A recent report from the department’s centre for foreign disinformation found some of the top helpers on Twitter seemingly come from Canada.
Twitter accounts that appeared to originate in Canada represented seven per cent of all tweets of proxy articles measured in the report between April and June 2020 — about 12,000 tweets total.
The Canada-linked accounts were surpassed only by those from the U.K. and Russia in sharing disinformation from America’s top flagged “proxy sites.”
“Proxy sites are a key pillar in the Russian disinformation ecosystem,” a State Department spokesperson wrote to the Star this week.
“These sites are used to launder disinformation and propaganda, and to amplify one another.”
The glance into Canada’s role in the dissemination of Russian-linked disinformation does not mean the Kremlin has directly set up propagandists working for the Russian state.
One expert says it’s more likely the prevalence of Canadian accounts tweeting pro-Russia disinformation is a result of “unwitting” alignment with Russia’s ideas.
“They are being duped, attracted or attached to the rhetoric these governments promote and they do the same thing,” said Ahmed Al-Rawi, who runs the Disinformation Project at Simon Fraser University, studying false information online.
“That applies to disinformation as well as misleading information.”
The State Department released its report in part to highlight that those kind of disinformation spreaders, even if their connection to state actors is not apparent, also pose a threat by amplifying conspiracies.
One example cited in the report was that proxy sites played a key role in amplifying conspiracy theories that COVID-19 was part of a U.S. bioweapon plot.
Mary Blankenship, a University of Nevada researcher who studies how misinformation spreads through Twitter, said false information on the platform is a particular concern because of how many Americans rely on it for news.
According to Pew, almost a quarter of Americans use Twitter, and more than 70 per cent of adult users are on the platform as a news source. But Blankenship said few of those users could be expected to thoroughly research the accuracy of all the claims they see on the platform themselves given the high volume, and they may be even more vulnerable to false information, if it carries a particular emotional charge.
“Definitely (Twitter) plays an important role in how people get their information, and not just about the election: Also about mass shootings, environmental issues, COVID-19,” Blankenship said.
“Any major event is immediately fogged up by information pollution. It takes focus away from the actual issues, as the discussion becomes what is fake and what isn’t.”
Twitter now labels some false or misleading articles shared on the platform surrounding, for example, COVID-19 or the election.
Al-Rawi, who received a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council grant to conduct his research on false information in Canada, said the vast majority of false information coming into and out of Canada is doing so without scrutiny.
“We don’t have the capacity to live monitor disinformation (in Canada),” he said.
The State Department report focused on one, now infamous, Canadian website: Global Research run by retired University of Ottawa professor Michel Chossudovsky. The website has long been criticized for promoting conspiracy theories about 9/11, and more recently for amplifying conspiracies about COVID-19.
Of seven proxy sites profiled in the report, Global Research was among those with the greatest readership, and was mentioned on Twitter more than any other. The department told the Star the outlet’s significant presence on Twitter likely explains why posts originating from Canada were prominent in their study.
“Global Research was the most prominent outlet, accounting for almost half of all the articles shared on Twitter,” a portion of the report reads. “Most of Global Research’s content included sensationalized coverage or disinformation about COVID-19 and vaccines, often featuring false claims about the U.S. government or Bill Gates.”
Al-Rawi said the relatively new focus on Global Research which has been in existence almost two decades, is a wakeup call.
“It’s surprising to me, the lack of research and monitoring. It’s really quite disturbing to be honest.”
Reached by phone Friday, Chossudovsky said he would not comment on any aspect of the State Department report.