The Washington Post ran an article about a powerful new activism campaign aided by — I kid you not — the former head of U.S. forces in Afghanistan. “Defeat Disinfo” is a promising new Democratic-aligned group “planning to deploy technology originally developed to counter Islamic State propaganda in service of a domestic political goal - to combat online efforts to promote President Donald Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic.” The group “will use artificial intelligence and network analysis to map discussion of the president's claims on social media.” And we can help…
Faced with disinformation, they’re organizing a “mass resistance” online — and each week, they’re asking liberal volunteers online to help spread the truth. The name of this week’s action? “Trump Lied. People Died.” They’re hoping to get it trending on Facebook…
It’s important to note that the initiative “received initial funding for the technology from DARPA, the Pentagon's research arm, as part of an effort to combat extremism overseas,” according to the Washington Post. You can read more about the group in this launch announcement, which calls President Trump “the largest amplifier of disinformation in the United States.”
I can’t end disinformation alone. But we can. Instead of worrying about the impact it will have on the election, I’ve been waiting for a chance to do something about it. And a group called “Defeat Disinfo” is offering us that chance.