Catfishing

I had to defriend someone on Facebook that I haven't seen in person for quite a few years, because she was sharing a constant stream of fake news and misinformation, most of it being anti-Obama and anti-Hillary. One of the things that puzzled me about her was that she expressed gushing praise for Vladimir Putin. It didn't make sense to me why a religious conservative from a small town in Idaho would be so pro-Putin. This weekend I learned that the Russian government employs a group of internet trolls to pump out fake news and information. They have multiple fake personalities on Facebook and Twitter, and their stated goal is to improve the West's view of Russia and Putin as well as influence the U.S. election. It's a weird feeling to realize that Russia has been catfishing America.

http://www.vocativ.com/world/russia/russia-internet-research-agency/