Remember all those news stories about looters getting together on social media sites to coordinate their rampage, and maybe "off some pigs?" Well, it turns out those "looters"
weren\'t even in Baltimore . In some cases, they came from Russia, China, and the Middle East.
Sort of gives a whole new meaning to "outside agitators," doesn't it?
After riots overtook West Baltimore on Monday, a hashtag began to appear on Twitter and other social media — #BALTIMORELOOTCREW — linking together posts that depicted pilfered prescription drugs and demolished store shelves.
But that "crew" was not actually in Baltimore protesting the death of Freddie Gray, according to a local cybersecurity company. Many photos shared using that label, and others, were taken years ago, and often not even in the United States, employees at Federal Hill-based ZeroFox found.
Bad actors and so-called "hacktivists" descended on Baltimore — electronically, at least — this past week, flooding social media with automated accounts and inauthentic images, said James C. Foster, CEO of the social media risk management firm. Law enforcement and cybersecurity experts said such barrages increasingly target areas of unrest around the world, spurring violence and challenging efforts to contain it....
It really shouldn't be much of a surprise, since the internet is global. But it looks like this is a good excuse to employ some of those "cybersecurity experts." At taxpayer expense, naturally.
Onward and upward,
airforce
