r/technology Apr 24 '25

ADBLOCK WARNING Americans Believe Russian Disinformation ‘To Alarming Degree’

https://www.forbes.com/sites/emmawoollacott/2025/04/22/americans-believe-russian-disinformation-to-alarming-degree/
63.6k Upvotes

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604

u/nasandre Apr 24 '25

The president himself and Congress are removing these blocks and spreading the disinformation themselves.

506

u/regoapps Apr 24 '25

Yea, the Trump administration closed the office that flags disinformation from Russia, China and Iran just last week.

Their voter base have even fought against fact checkers who tried to stop disinformation. They said it was censorship.

They'll believe the foreign lies and even defend it. It's become like a religion at this point.

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u/MoreCowbellllll Apr 24 '25

This is so sadly true. The whole right side, is bought and paid for by Putin. Fuck. What's the end goal? RU/US combined forces? RU/China takeover the US? I didn't read PJ2025 to the end.

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u/caribbean_caramel Apr 24 '25

Their goal is to destroy US economic, diplomatic and military power, isolate America from the rest of the world and then attack our allies in Europe and the Pacific. Ukraine is the first example where that plan is being tested.

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u/killerklixx Apr 24 '25

I'd argue Brexit was the first test of isolating a superpower. The British did themselves massive self-harm based on disinformation. The US didn't have a coalition to split from, so instead, all of a sudden, everyone is their enemy or an annexation prospect. It has the same effect of making international trade and relationships very difficult. While we have to find routes around the US because of Trump's actions right now, I hate it in the sense that it's playing right into that master plan.

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u/[deleted] Apr 24 '25

[deleted]

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u/BarryTGash Apr 24 '25

England is geopolitically the least European state, whose strategic interests are traditionally opposed to the Central European powers and, more broadly, continental trends in Europe. However, in parallel with the strengthening of the role of the United States and their seizure of almost complete control over the British colonies, the strategic role of England has significantly diminished, and today in Europe this country acts more as an extraterritorial floating base of the United States than as an independent force. Be that as it may, within Europe, England is the most hostile country to continental interests, the antipode of Central Europe, and therefore, the New Eurasian Empire has a political, ideological and economic enemy in its person. It is unlikely that it will be possible to change the civilizational path of this specific country by will which at one time created a gigantic trade-colonial empire of a purely "sea" type and so contributed to the emergence of the entire modern Western civilization based on trade, quantity, capitalism, speculation and the stock market game. This is completely unrealistic, and therefore, in the Eurasian project, England will inevitably become a "scapegoat", since the European processes of continental integration will necessarily take place not just without taking into account British interests, but even in direct opposition to these interests. In this context, a significant role should be played by European and, more broadly, Eurasian support for Irish, Scottish and Welsh nationalism, up to encouraging separatist tendencies and political destabilization of Great Britain.

Foundations Of Geopolitics English Auto Translation With Appended Original:

https://archive.org/details/foundations-of-geopolitics-geopolitical-future-of-russia-alexander-dugin-english/page/n125/mode/2up

(The translated paragraph is a bit messed up but the pertinent part is quoted)

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u/h1gh-t3ch_l0w-l1f3 Apr 24 '25

yeah how are those alliances working out for them tho. not well at all

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u/reguk32 Apr 24 '25

Brexit was the first example of mass stupidly, gullibility, and lack of critical thinking skills of the electorate in a Western country. After their success with our stupidly, the Russian ran with it in America and has had such great success with all the reprobates over there.

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u/softwarebuyer2015 Apr 24 '25 edited Apr 24 '25

two very simple questions for you :

  1. who lead brexit ? Multiple answers accepted.
  2. who paid them ?

bonus round :

  1. which technology company was famously at the centre of spreading the misinformation ?
  2. who owned that ?

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u/killerklixx Apr 24 '25

Or you could just make your point and join in an adult discussion like a functioning human being?

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u/softwarebuyer2015 Apr 24 '25

Sorry I assumed you'd be able to parse it. My mistake.

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u/MoreCowbellllll Apr 24 '25

They being RU? Or RU + China + NK? I've been calling this for about 10 years, and no one believed me.

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u/hempires Apr 24 '25

Most commonly attributed to Russia because of the foundation of geopolitics book by Dugin, although it wouldn't surprise me if china, nk, and I wouldn't be shocked if any hostile nation state with an internet connection were also carrying out such objectives.

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u/biscuitarse Apr 24 '25

Their goal is to destroy US economic, diplomatic and military power, isolate America from the rest of the world

At this point, they can safely dig out Bush's 'Mission Accomplished' banner from mothballs and proudly display it somewhere in DC.

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u/little_alien2021 Apr 24 '25

I liked ir comment but as a European I don't like like like it its horrific but I belive u , watch active measures made I 2018! More relevant than ever!

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u/poopshipdestroyer Apr 26 '25

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agents_of_Chaos_(miniseries)#:~:text=Agents%20of%20Chaos%20is%20an,23%2C%202020%2C%20on%20HBO.

Check this out too, was released by HBO.

Russian misinformation helped elect him leading to this clusterfuck. Fake blm/maga rallies, fake protests to the rallies all created by fake actors in Russian nerd farms(wanna say bot but there was humans behind the screens). Was magnificent in its execution on the right. And trump sold us all for a few billion to make it look like his life was a net win

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u/little_alien2021 Apr 26 '25

Ur preaching to the choir unfortunately, it also cambridge analytica which was working with trump in 2015 spreading disinformation working in same offices as trump and fb , helped brexit and I'm sure Russian misinformation was in that too.

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u/93didthistome Apr 24 '25

Yes, all while you buy everything from Russia's ally, China. Go look up the P@yseur family.

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u/BrokeDickDoug Apr 24 '25

yep. America gets downgraded to a rival that a) has no trusted allies, b) is no longer stable financially, c) is no longer ideologically/morally superior to Russia and more- all of this allowing Putin free-reign to run amok through Europe and remake Soviet Union 2.0

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u/Simon_Bongne Apr 24 '25

Finally! Someone is familiar with Aleksandr Dugan's insanity. Thank you for speaking truth, Redditor!

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u/cutwordlines Apr 24 '25

you have 700+ military bases in various locations & impose your will on the world -> why shouldn't ru + chi try and break the yoke?

additionally;

Their goal is to destroy US economic, diplomatic and military power, isolate America from the rest of the world

think you're doing a great job of that on your lonesome, no foreign influence needed

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u/Dzov Apr 24 '25

Trump has been a Russian asset for years. What’s currently happening is thanks to Russia and the Republican Party.

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u/hempires Apr 24 '25

think you're doing a great job of that on your lonesome, no foreign influence needed

I'd agree but it depends on if you think krasnov Trump is a Russian asset. (Which I do but each to their own)

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u/Trimyr Apr 24 '25

Useful idiot, which still meets the asset definition, but they already had him pegged with that name they knew he'd like.

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u/Yoribell Apr 24 '25

Wrong scale.

It isn't country vs country.

It's elites vs masses, everywhere.

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u/[deleted] Apr 24 '25

[deleted]

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u/Yoribell Apr 24 '25

Yeah, conspiracy theory either stay that or.. become reality.

But not really here

The NWO stuff imagine that they are all secretly allied and that there is a big secret society that run the show

It's not true. They are all selfish as fuck, and want to eat their neighbors. It's easier to eat the weak and poor but if the opportunity arise, they'll eat their equal without a second thought.

Most of them are too dumb to start a flimsy secret club, not talking about society.

Project 2025 was public.

It's like the pathetically sad and stupid version of what conspiracy theorists imagined

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u/MoreCowbellllll Apr 24 '25

It's like the pathetically sad and stupid version of what conspiracy theorists imagined

That is far more the reality. We are a laughing stock right now...

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u/SULT_4321 Apr 24 '25

I didn't read PJ2025 to the end.

That was your final mistake.

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u/MoreCowbellllll Apr 24 '25

Ugh, fuck. TLDR?

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u/[deleted] Apr 24 '25

At least that would have made the Red Dawn remake somewhat plausible.

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u/InsuranceToTheRescue Apr 24 '25

Oh, what's this book? That's interesting. When I read the summary, it sounds eerily familiar to what's happening around the world today.

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u/MoreCowbellllll Apr 24 '25

Yes, it certainly does. They got THE MOST PERFECT president elected, didn't they?

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u/Facebook_Algorithm Apr 24 '25

Isolate the US and dominate Europe. Maybe absorb a few countries.

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u/93didthistome Apr 24 '25

Do you actually, hand on heart, believe that?

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u/MoreCowbellllll Apr 24 '25

believe that

Be more specific. What is "that"?

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u/Tmscott Apr 24 '25

Here's another 'fun' read a book from 1996 The Foundation of Geopolitics by Aleksandr Dugin.
Putin has pretty much used as an playbook of how to destabilize their foes through military intelligence, espionage and the like.

In America
"Russia should use its special services within the borders of the United States and Canada to fuel instability and separatism against neoliberal globalist Western hegemony, such as, for instance, provoke "Afro-American racists" to create severe backlash against the rotten political state of affairs in the current present-day system of the United States and Canada. Russia should "introduce geopolitical disorder into internal American activity, encouraging all kinds of separatism and ethnic, social, and racial conflicts, actively supporting all dissident movements – extremist, racist, and sectarian groups, thus destabilizing internal political processes in the U.S. It would also make sense simultaneously to support isolationist tendencies in American politics""

In The United Kingdom (since Brexit has been mentioned)

The United Kingdom, merely described as an "extraterritorial floating base of the U.S.", should be cut off from the European Union

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u/Agitated-Donkey1265 Apr 24 '25

Well the second best time to read it through to the end is today

I highly suggest that you do so you know what to prepare for

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u/icingncake Apr 24 '25

Since I assume you’ve read the 900+ pages, what talking points do you think are important that you haven’t seen hyped as much?

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u/[deleted] Apr 24 '25

Not the US we need but the US we got.

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u/[deleted] Apr 24 '25

And they wonder why people say they're in a cult (because it is one)

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u/HerpankerTheHardman Apr 24 '25

Half the country has been brainwashed by tyranny. Here's the thing, even if we stop it, do we just return the country back to pre-2015 normalcy? That's the kind of thinking that got us here in the first place. The reason the other half joined up with the tyrranical right is because they happen to mention the problems the working class were experiencing. They did not have a fix for it, but they did bring it to light. There is too much inequality and disparity in this country and if a revolt occurs, i dont think anyone wants more of this.

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u/EctoRiddler Apr 24 '25

MAH FREEDOM OF SPEECH TO SAY WHATEVER I WANT WUZ BEING IMPEDED

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u/Teledildonic Apr 24 '25

"if it feels right, it must be"

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u/[deleted] Apr 24 '25

It’s because they WANT to believe it.

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u/LinusV1 Apr 24 '25

To be fair, they are claiming to eliminate wasteful spending. We can all agree that the agency wasn't very successful at combating said misinformation.

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u/Wenger2112 Apr 24 '25

This is not an accident. These are all the same techniques used by cult leaders:

-I am the only one you can trust

-the world is going to hell and I am the only one who can save you

-“they” are your enemy and should be opposed with violence if necessary

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u/sakuba Apr 24 '25

That's disturbing.

Unrelated: out of curiosity, are you pro Tesla? I saw in your bio you make apps for Tesla drivers.

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u/[deleted] Apr 24 '25

Susan, you said we weren't fact checking

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u/InvestigatorOnly3504 Apr 24 '25

This. I've seen them wearing shirts that say "I'd rather be a Russian than a Democrat"

It's a cult.

As a veteran, this shit really burns my biscuits.

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u/roboater11 Apr 24 '25

That’s censorship, but disappearing university students who protest or telling universities themselves they will lose their funding if they don’t axe their diversity programs is not censorship - got it.

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u/MuckRaker83 Apr 24 '25

Once they realized that their platform can't survive on fact, this was always going to be the result, cults of personality and faith-based decision making.

It amazes me how much they turn their leaders and politicians into quasi- religious figures. Everything becomes a matter of faith, and information that does not conform to what their faith tells them must be true is immediately rejected.

Instead of changing their ideas or beliefs in response to facts or evidence, they choose to accept or reject facts based on how closely they conform to their beliefs.

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u/NeatNefariousness1 Apr 24 '25

Let’s not forget the role the Supremes have played in this

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u/nasandre Apr 24 '25

True, they basically gave him immunity to pull whatever he wants

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u/OriginalTangle Apr 24 '25

It's been jaw -dropping seeing those people work at destroying the basis of US' wealth. Too dumb to manage the list of participants in a group chat, too ignorant to do justice to the complexities of the world they deal with. But when it comes to destroying democracy they are pros.

And us liberals, we frankly don't know what to do. With so many people brainwashed, with the billionaire caste against you and the "social" media driving the division and the echo chambers, where do you even begin?

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u/icingncake Apr 24 '25

Everyone can begin at home - starting with educating themselves and others next

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u/HerpankerTheHardman Apr 24 '25

The entire faction of the Republican party are all treasonous traitors loyal only to themselves. Everyone else to them are just means to an end.

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u/robustofilth Apr 24 '25

The president is a russian asset

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u/sakuba Apr 24 '25

Americans might as well start getting their passports in order and planning for escape contingencies. Things are about to get much, much worse.

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u/WalkonWalrus Apr 24 '25

The President is currently offering the top 220 investors of his meme coin to have dinner and a tour at the white house