{"id":2361472,"date":"2024-10-30T09:18:55","date_gmt":"2024-10-30T13:18:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/harris-campaign-caught-manipulating-x-to-censor-criticism\/"},"modified":"2024-10-30T09:33:58","modified_gmt":"2024-10-30T13:33:58","slug":"harris-campaign-caught-manipulating-x-to-censor-criticism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/harris-campaign-caught-manipulating-x-to-censor-criticism\/","title":{"rendered":"Harris Campaign Caught Manipulating X To Censor Criticism"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fharris-campaign-caught-manipulating-x-to-censor-criticism%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2361472&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The \u2064article investigates Kamala Harris&#8217; presidential campaign&#8217;s\u200b use of online platforms \u2063to manipulate \u2063public\u200d perception \u2062and \u2063spread \u2063propaganda. It reveals that the campaign operates a Discord server where volunteers are directed to use social media to promote pro-Harris messages deceptively, often \u2064violating\u2062 platform rules. A key strategy includes &#8220;astroturfing,&#8221;\u2064 which aims to \u2063create a false sense\u200c of consensus about \u2063the\u200c campaign and its opponents.<\/p>\n<p>The investigation highlights the campaign&#8217;s effective manipulation of Reddit&#8217;s algorithm but \u2063notes \u2063similar tactics on X (formerly Twitter), where they\u200c allegedly mobilize supporters to undermine community notes \u200bthat accurately\u2063 critique their statements. These actions seem\u2063 to violate X&#8217;s Terms of Service by artificially boosting misinformation while suppressing\u2064 corrective \u2063feedback.<\/p>\n<p>The \u2063article also points out how \u2063the Harris campaign \u200dhas\u2063 been linked to \u200ddisinformation, \u200dwith \u2062even <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">reputable fact-checkers calling<\/a> out their misleading narratives. Although the\u200c Community Notes system on\u200b X is designed to mitigate bias, the \u200dcampaign&#8217;s attempts \u200dto game it have been largely unsuccessful. the report portrays a\u200c troubling picture of \u200ba \u2063campaign engaged in deception \u2064and manipulation to\u200d influence \u2064voter perception \u200bahead of the election.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>In <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/10\/29\/busted-the-inside-story-of-how-the-kamala-harris-campaign-manipulates-reddit-and-breaks-the-rules-to-control-the-platform\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">part one of this investigation<\/a> into how Kamala Harris&rsquo; presidential campaign is deceptively manipulating online platforms, it was revealed that the campaign is operating a Discord server that directs hordes of volunteers to use their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sickening-video-shows-antifa-allegedly-stab-4-trump-supporters-in-washington-dc\/\" title=\"Sickening Video Shows Antifa Allegedly Stab 4 Trump Supporters in Washington DC\">social media accounts<\/a> to deceptively push election propaganda.<\/p>\n<p>The goal is to artificially manufacture consensus by making pro-Kamala Harris messages on social media appear more popular than they are, and it is often done in violation of the Terms of Service of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-new-acting-attorney-general-jeff-rosen-recently-wrote-an-essay-on-foreign-influence-in-us-elections-this-tells-us-a-little-about-his-knowledge-of-whats-going-on-today\/\" title=\"The New Acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen Recently Wrote an Essay on Foreign Influence in US Elections \u2013 This Tells Us A Little About His Knowledge of What\u2019s Going On Today\">social media platforms<\/a>. In more extreme cases, they are encouraging people to skirt election laws and using these &ldquo;astroturfing&rdquo; campaigns to spread disinformation they think will help win the upcoming election.<\/p>\n<p>Yesterday&rsquo;s report documented how the Harris-Walz campaign has seen great success in <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/10\/29\/busted-the-inside-story-of-how-the-kamala-harris-campaign-manipulates-reddit-and-breaks-the-rules-to-control-the-platform\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">manipulating Reddit&rsquo;s algorithm<\/a>, but that isn&rsquo;t the only <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/roger-stone-announces-he-will-sue-those-who-arrested-him-and-put-him-in-front-of-a-kangaroo-court\/\" title=\"Roger Stone Announces He Will Sue Those Who Arrested Him and Put Him In Front of a Kangaroo Court\">social media site<\/a> they&rsquo;re manipulating. The campaign has also been targeting Elon Musk&rsquo;s X, perhaps the most influential site for political news. One particular goal, according to a user of the Harris-Walz campaign Discord server, is to get campaign volunteers to swarm the site and &ldquo;block [community notes] we don&rsquo;t like.&rdquo;  <\/p>\n<p>Prior to Musk&rsquo;s purchase of Twitter, the site&rsquo;s management was known for capriciously removing information and regularly banning users in a way that employed a double standard that heavily disfavored conservative opinion. Musk, a major free speech advocate, sought to institute a more neutral way to deal with misleading tweets, and the &ldquo;Community Notes&rdquo; system was born.<\/p>\n<p>Select users who signed up for the program could propose notes to be added to tweets showing that the information was wrong, misleading, or required important context. Other users can then read the proposed notes and vote on whether they are accurate or needed, and if the proposed notes get enough favorable votes, they get appended to the post permanently.<\/p>\n<p>However, throughout this campaign Harris-Walz official accounts have been remarkable conduits for disinformation and have <a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/world\/us\/8-times-kamala-harris-campaign-spread-fake-news\/articleshow\/113457810.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">regularly provided dishonest presentations of the Trump-Vance campaign<\/a>. The Harris campaign&rsquo;s X accounts have been so bad that even CNN fact checker Daniel Dale, who has been very harsh on Trump for several years, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/09\/14\/politics\/fact-check-harris-campaign-social-media\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wrote an entire column highlighting the errors and dishonesty<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Despite this, virtually none of the false and misleading tweets from Kamala Harris&rsquo; campaign have Community Notes appended to them. One likely explanation for this discrepancy is that the Harris campaign is directing volunteers on its Discord server to vote down Community Notes even when those notes accurately say the campaign is being deceptive. <\/p>\n<p>In the example below, after a @KamalaHQ tweet claimed Trump referred to Americans who don&rsquo;t support him as &ldquo;dangerous people,&rdquo; Timothy Durigan, an employee of the Democratic National Committee, urges campaign volunteers to vote down <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/i\/birdwatch\/t\/1848752783870005451\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a Community Note that accurately pointed out the Kamala campaign was taking Trump&rsquo;s remark out of context<\/a>. Trump was actually speaking about those in the American government <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/kamalahqlies\/status\/1848753519152517137?s=46\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">responsible for leaking information related to Israel&rsquo;s war plans<\/a>:<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<p>In the &ldquo;twitter-community-notes&rdquo; channel found on the Harris-Walz Discord, paid Democrat staffers are also writing dubious Community Notes on X to undermine GOP and Trump messaging. They then encourage volunteers to rate them positively.<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<p>Unsurprisingly, these notes are often filled with half-truths, misleading information, or lies, such as explaining how Joe Biden&rsquo;s son&rsquo;s brain tumor <em>must <\/em>have been due to his service in Iraq.<\/p>\n<p>The Harris-Walz server even has a &ldquo;Twitter (X) Community Notes Training&rdquo; module, which describes how users can quickly bump up their Community Notes &ldquo;Rating Impact,&rdquo; which allows them to write their own Community Notes with a high enough status. They also describe &ldquo;problems&rdquo; with Community Notes, such as Joe Biden being tagged in &ldquo;inaccurate Community Notes,&rdquo; and how users can rate them negatively.<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<p>Since X&rsquo;s Community Notes upvoting system is designed to mitigate political bias <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/10\/29\/busted-the-inside-story-of-how-the-kamala-harris-campaign-manipulates-reddit-and-breaks-the-rules-to-control-the-platform\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">far better than Reddit&rsquo;s<\/a>, the Harris-Walz campaign&rsquo;s attempt to manipulate Community Notes on X hasn&rsquo;t been as successful.<\/p>\n<p>One Harris-Walz Discord user lengthily expressed his frustrations at the bias mitigation system used by Community Notes (CNs), which was implemented to prevent user manipulation:<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<p>While their attempts to abuse Community Notes on X were largely ineffective, it is still a gross violation of X&rsquo;s Terms of Service, which prohibits artificially amplifying information.<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<h2>Other Astroturfing Operations<\/h2>\n<p>The Harris-Walz Discord server provides access to an app called &ldquo;Reach&rdquo; which gives its users access to a database of &ldquo;entertaining&rdquo; Harris-Walz campaign content.<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<p>X has also introduced &ldquo;Radar,&rdquo; a feature that lets users see post volumes on specific topics. Using messaging guidance from three Reach posts, I found evidence of hundreds of astroturfing profiles for the Harris campaign on X. The same search was done on Google with one of the images, suggesting broader reach. While the Google data is larger, it is also likely incomplete while the X data is complete. The scale of this operation continues to grow.<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<p>Users can connect their own <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cancel-culture-mob-slams-transgender-author-and-activist-for-allegedly-working-at-lockheed-martin\/\" title=\"Cancel Culture Mob Slams Transgender Author And Activist For Allegedly Working At Lockheed Martin\u00a0\">personal social media accounts<\/a> to the Reach app, so they can easily repost memes, videos, and other content that promotes the ideals of the Harris-Walz campaign.<\/p>\n<p>While topics relating to current events routinely trend on Reddit and X, other platforms, such as TikTok and Instagram, gear themselves towards entertaining content. To target these platforms, the campaign is also using Reach. Unfortunately for them, the content they provide pretty much resembles your liberal aunt&rsquo;s Facebook timeline.<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<p>To people who have spent years online learning the nuances of meme culture, this is fundamentally repulsive. It embodies the inauthentic nature of the modern internet, which has seemingly replaced the &ldquo;old net&rdquo; in the last two decades.<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<p>Their reaction to the now infamous <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/video\/6363211856112\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Man Enough to Vote for Harris<\/a> ad speaks for itself:<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<p>Not only do they love flamboyant actors masquerading as American &ldquo;men,&rdquo; they also enjoyed actively promoting it during a football game, boosting their post with unrelated hashtags that happened to be trending at the time. This is yet another shady tactic used to bump up social media posts inauthentically, shamelessly employed by official Harris-Walz volunteers.<\/p>\n<p>But at this late stage in the campaign, it would appear spreading inauthentic content and deceptive messages is all the Harris campaign can do. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      The author runs the popular Twitter account <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/reddit_lies\">@reddit_lies<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Harris&#8217; campaign uses Discord to manipulate social media for propaganda<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2136,"featured_media":2361473,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-57.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[6371,35844,4241,33295,32504],"class_list":["post-2361472","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","tag-censorship","tag-harris-campaign","tag-manipulation","tag-media-criticism","tag-political-strategy"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-57.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2361472","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2136"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2361472"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2361472\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2361473"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2361472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2361472"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2361472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}