United States

Russian Trolls Pushed Divisive Content Over Vaccines, Researchers Say

The study highlights how social media-based propaganda efforts from Russia were not solely focused on the 2016 election and now include public health issues.

Russian trolls weren’t just trying to cause division in U.S. politics. A new study shows they were also trying to sow discord in one of the country's most heated debates around public health: vaccinations.

NBC News reports Russia-linked social media bots pushed divisive rhetoric and misinformation on Twitter on both sides of the vaccine debate, according to research led by George Washington University and published Thursday in the American Journal of Public Health.

"These trolls seem to be using vaccination as a wedge issue, promoting discord in American society," the study's authors said.

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