The Russian government's propaganda machine has developed a level of skill and sophistication previously unknown with social media accounts and search engine optimization, according to intelligence documents recently posted on Discord.
According to a document obtained by The Washington Post, Russians responsible for controlling those social media profiles boasted that just 1% of their accounts are detected by social media companies.
"Google and Meta and others are trying to stop this, and Russia is trying to get better," Thomas Rid, a disinformation scholar and professor at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies, told the Post. "The figure that you are citing suggests that Russia is winning."
Rid added that the 1% figure mentioned by the Russians was likely exaggerated or inaccurate.
The analysis of Russia's increased success at promoting propaganda on social media platforms like Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube is not dated, according to the Post, and was reportedly presented to Pentagon brass in the past few months.
It was included in documents allegedly leaked by Air National Guard technician Jack Teixeira on the chat app Discord. The 21-year-old Airman made his initial appearance before a federal judge in Boston on Friday on charges of unlawfully removing and retaining classified materials. He faces 15 years in prison if convicted.
"If I were the U.S. government, I would be taking this seriously but calmly," Ciaran Martin, former head of the United Kingdom's cyberdefense agency, told the Post. "I would be talking to the major platforms and saying, 'Let's have a look at this together to see what credence to give these claims.'"
"Don't automatically equate activity with impact."
Though the average user spends more than two hours per day on social media, little is known about how specific content is pushed to platform users, as algorithms are closely guarded by Big Tech companies and automated tools and influencers are used by marketing firms and governments to promote their agendas.
YouTube parent company Google touted its track record of combating phony accounts in a statement to the Post.
"We have a strong track record detecting and taking action against botnets," the company said. "We are constantly monitoring and updating our safeguards."
Concerns over spying and propaganda through Chinese-owned app TikTok have become widespread in recent months, prompting congressional investigations and proposed bans. In February, former Twitter trust and safety head Yoel Roth told Congress that the site still had between thousands and hundreds of thousands of Russian bots.
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