Russian Bots with Stolen ID's sent 21 million anti-Net Neutrality comments to FCC
 

So the GOP worked with Russia to falsify American citizen input in an effort to end net neutrality.

"The comments were reportedly traced back to Russian email addresses, with nearly 21 million of the 22 million comments that the FCC received actually coming from Russians.

As the Huffington Post noted, the comments found to be unique were almost entirely in favor of net neutrality, the idea that internet service providers should provide equal access to all content, without favoring or blocking certain websites. "

FBI investigating conservative firms after millions of fake comments given as evidence to support Trump’s end to net neutrality

Millions of comments supporting a controversial stance to squash net neutrality may have actually come from Russian bots using stolen identities, including some from people who have died, a new report claims.

The Department of Justice is now investigating how millions of fake messages were sent to the Federal Communications Commission, Buzzfeed reported. The comments were reportedly traced back to Russian email addresses, with nearly 21 million of the 22 million comments that the FCC received actually coming from Russians.

As the Huffington Post noted, the comments found to be unique were almost entirely in favor of net neutrality, the idea that internet service providers should provide equal access to all content, without favoring or blocking certain websites. Opponents said that eliminating net neutrality would allow providers to hike prices for certain websites or throttle websites.

“Of the total estimated 800,000 unique comments sent, 99.7 percent supported net neutrality and opposed a controversial push by the Trump administration’s commission head Ajit Pai to terminate net neutrality,” the report noted. “Pai recently admitted that Russia meddled in the system and acknowledged that 500,000 of the suspect comments were linked to Russian emails.”

The new federal investigation into the fake comments joins another investigation already in progress from the state of New York. Earlier this year, the state attorney general launched an investigation and even created a site where people could check if their identity had been used for one of the comments.

As the New York Times reported, the state’s attorney general subpoenaed more than a dozen telecommunications trade groups, lobbying contractors, and advocacy organizations to determine if they played any role in the flood of fake comments. The new report claims that a number of these groups have now received federal subpoenas as well.

“The FCC’s public comment process was corrupted by millions of fake comments,” New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood said in a statement. “The law protects New Yorkers from deception and the misuse of their identities. My office will get to the bottom of what happened and hold accountable those responsible for using stolen identities to distort public opinion on net neutrality.”

Net neutrality rules went away in June after Ajit Pai, a Trump appointee, called them “heavy handed” and a “mistake.” Pai argued that the rules were a deterrent to investments in broadband networks, a stance supported by Republicans and opposed by Democrats. Many have vowed to take up the fight to restore net neutrality under the new Democratic Congress starting next year.

Contrary To Media Claims, There's No Evidence Russia Was Behind Fake Net Neutrality Comments

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20...comments.shtml

Only a complete fucking moron would believe that shit.. IE OP

I think this is old news. At least I read about it just after the FCC decision.
While a investigation going forward in NY is NEW.
Looks like they found a way to go after it in the form of a law that was broken...
Identity theft. But much of it were made-up ID's to begin with.

As I remember it, the FCC chair was touting those overwhelming comments after the decision and now admits to at least 500k of them are spoofed.

Now here is what the FCC chair said


Now for those that are confused about what exactly net neutrality means...

It is not a way to slow anyone down from where they now are.
The plan is provide higher speeds to those that pay more.
Any web master should know that the need for bandwidth continues to go up with new media formats.

Should be a no brainier for any webmaster to understand the logic here.
Lock the rate structures as they are now,
Wait till 4k and 8k and VR media and be able to charge those providers for the additional speeds to make that possible.
Know that a 4K 360/vr strereo res is a minimum enjoyable stream in VR.
Most will chop it down to a 180 or go mono or both.
Providers are a long way off from being able to deliver that in quantity now. But in the future....

The cable co's who bought up all the movie houses own all the content.
The have said back in 2005 they want to be able to collect on the other side of streams of consumers. They have a near monopoly on content and delivery and nobody was screaming about it like they should have.

Now they have competition from folks like Hulu and Netflix and Amazon and they want to be able to make money from what they can't own because they deliver it for free like all other internet content.

To go one step further, if they are allowed to do this, they should be split from ISP and content. So a breakup is in order without a doubt. With or without net neutrality.

Anyway, think about this hard. It may not seem it affects your livelihood now, but in the future, it certainly will. You don't think they will stop with Hulu and Youtube do you.

Not just fake news, but the opposite is true:

Net neutrality process 'meaningless' with flood of fake and foreign comments to FCC

Conservative Group Says Pro Net Neutrality Comments Were Faked

..analysis had uncovered 1.3 million likely fake pro-net neutrality comments from addresses in France, Russia and Germany “almost exclusively” from the email domains Pornhub.com and Hurra.de


It seems the dems were hiring foreigners to meddle in US politics

:1orglaugh

No, the Russian government was not. But the team of 'for hire' folks are from Russia.
Sometimes they do deeds for the government, but this was paid for by those in the US.

There are the same kinda folks here in the US. Unlikely to be hired here since once the trace back to the US, it's quite easy for legal action as compared to hiring outside of the free world so to speak.

https://www.foxnews.com/tech/justice...tential-crimes

It's on Fox news now so it must be true? of course Fox fails to mention any Russian involvement can't upset Murdoch's troll farms.. but yeah story the same

Lets recap with some homework:

Which Media Barron was the most outspoken critic of Net Neutrality laws?

Which media Barron did trump ask to pick preferred candidates for chair of the Federal Communications Commission?

Which media Barron employs the biggest troll farms in history?

MURDOCH

Don't go getting sidelined with Russia, Russia Russia Russia! When its only deflecting from Murdoch, murdoch, murdoch, Murdoch

another russian thread, another bunch of republican didndunuffins

>Russian Bots with Stolen ID's sent 21 million anti-Net Neutrality comments to FCC
Net Neutrality bad, Pootin good ))

Russian bots.. but not necessarily Russian Government bots

Go back to 2010

You know... when Murdoch flipped News Outdoor Russia for the troll farms.

https://www.reuters.com/article/murd...8E7HJN20120309

And hear that penny drop when you connect Putins head of propaganda, is an Ex-Murdoch executive.

Murdoch - is an Australian-born American media mogul
PS: good Australian comrade :1orglaugh