The disinformation campaign ramps up in advance of … what #TrumpRussia prosecution, or rather which #TrumpRussia prosecution, because moron...
The Daily Beast previously reported that a Pakistani blogger had been paid to write an article for the Huffington Post’s now-defunct contributor platform hailing the dismissal of the tax fraud case. That blogger, who went by the handle Waqas KH, said his client, whom he declined to name, had provided the text of the piece in full.
HuffPost is a prominent U.S. news source, but on more obscure platforms, used explicitly for search-engine optimization, over 50 other stories have popped up hyping the lawsuit’s dismissal and attempting to insulate Trump from controversy involving Sater and Bayrock. The articles were published over an eight-month period, from September 2017 through June 2018.
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The use of “private blog networks” (PBNs), or dummy websites set up to game search engine results, is a common, if often frowned-upon, internet marketing tactic, according to Brendon McAlpine, a business development manager for Australian online reputation management service Internet Removals.
McAlpine said link schemes like PBNs are frequently used to spread disinformation. “The problem with PBNs is that...anyone can create a website, build content and authority, then take paid promotional content without vetting the accuracy of it,” he explained. “We frequently see PBNs used for the destruction of businesses, individuals, government and celebrity reputations. PBNs are like the economy of influencers, where you can find a blog relevant to your target’s industry/interests and spread damaging content or counter intelligence for a small fee.”
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The tactics aren’t limited to websites either. A host of dummy social media accounts—including Twitter and Facebook pages bearing the names Tevfik Arif, Tevfik Arif Doyen, TevfikArif Bayrock, and Тевфик Ариф (Serbian for Tevfik Arif)—have been used since last year to plug the dismissal of the lawsuit against Sater and Bayrock.
An Alfa Bank attorney (and mob lawyer) gets to become part of the DoJ investigation… what?