# Troll farms reached 140 million Americans a month on Facebook before 2020 election, internal report



## notimp (Sep 21, 2021)

> In the run-up to the 2020 election, the most highly contested in US history, Facebook’s most popular pages for Christian and Black American content were being run by Eastern European troll farms. These pages were part of a larger network that collectively reached nearly half of all Americans, according to an internal company report, and achieved that reach not through user choice but primarily as a result of Facebook’s own platform design and engagement-hungry algorithm.


https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/09/16/1035851/facebook-troll-farms-report-us-2020-election/


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## Taleweaver (Sep 22, 2021)

...that's one article with weird findings.


Between the lines, I mostly read that facebook is in a similar situation as twitter used to be: their most popular user was also their most controversial one. And because popularity (and even controversy, in a way) generates more traffic, they hesitate to take action. Either because they can't (it's one thing to close down a proven troll farm but another thing to prevent two others from taking its place), or because it'll cause an uproar.

But that's not all. I get targetting black americans and christian ones (these are large lobbying groups)...but why native Americans? Google just told me they only occupy like 2% of the US population. Not that I want to inspire anyone, but...what's to gain, there? 


And speaking of...what is there to gain, exactly? Kosovo and Nigeria most likely aren't the culprits as strawmans...but to whom? Russia? China? Russia AND China?
At least in 2016 the objective was clear: paint Hillary Clinton as the spawn of evil to make Trump look cute and adorable by comparison. What are those troll farms really farming? And why?

*looks at US Afghanistan retreat*
Erm...Afghanistan doesn't have a cyber army, doesn't it? 


Finally..."My Baby Daddy Aint Shit" ...? I'm obviously not the target here (neither black nor American), but what kind of facebook group is that? And how is it so popular?


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