Changes

==Defeat Disinfo==

==Defeat Disinfo==

:{{See also|Biden Putsch}}

:{{See also|Biden Putsch}}

Isaac Stanley-Becker of ''[[Washington Post]]'' wrote in May 2020,<ref>https://www.stripes.com/news/us/initiative-seeks-to-challenge-trump-s-online-megaphone-1.628186</ref>

Isaac Stanley-Becker of ''[[Washington Post]]'' wrote in May 2020,<ref>https://www.stripes.com/news/us/initiative-seeks-to-challenge-trump-s-online-megaphone-1.628186</ref>

{{quotebox-float|A new Democratic-aligned political action committee advised by retired Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the former head of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, is planning to deploy technology originally developed to counter [[Islamic State]] [[propaganda]] in service of a domestic political goal – to combat online efforts to promote President Donald Trump's handling of the [[coronavirus]] pandemic.

{{quotebox|A new Democratic-aligned political action committee advised by retired Army Gen. [[Stanley McChrystal]], the former head of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, is planning to deploy technology originally developed to counter Islamic State propaganda in service of a domestic political goal – to combat online efforts to promote President Donald Trump's handling of the [[coronavirus]] pandemic.

[[File:Defeat-Disinfo.jpg|right|300px|thumb|McCrystal ran a Democrat funded operation against President Trump during the 2020 presidential election.]]

[[File:Defeat-Disinfo.jpg|right|300px|thumb|McCrystal ran a Democrat funded operation against President Trump during the 2020 presidential election.]]

The group, [[Defeat Disinfo]], will use [[artificial intelligence]] and network analysis to map discussion of the president's claims on social media. It will seek to intervene by identifying the most popular counter-narratives and boosting them through a network of more than 3.4 million influencers across the country – in some cases paying users with large followings to take sides against the president.

The group, Defeat Disinfo, will use [[artificial intelligence]] and network analysis to map discussion of the president's claims on social media. It will seek to intervene by identifying the most popular counter-narratives and boosting them through a network of more than 3.4 million influencers across the country – in some cases paying users with large followings to take sides against the president.

The initiative reflects fears within the [[Democratic Party]] that Trump's unwavering digital army may help sustain him through the [[pandemic]], as it has through past controversies...The initiative is run by Curtis Hougland, whose received initial funding for the technology from [[DARPA]], the Pentagon's research arm, as part of an effort to combat extremism overseas. He insists Democrats are ill-prepared for the looming battle over information and attention, which is bound to play an outsize role in November.}}

The initiative reflects fears within the [[Democratic Party]] that Trump's unwavering digital army may help sustain him through the [[pandemic]], as it has through past controversies...The initiative is run by Curtis Hougland, whose received initial funding for the technology from [[DARPA]], the Pentagon's research arm, as part of an effort to combat extremism overseas. He insists Democrats are ill-prepared for the looming battle over information and attention, which is bound to play an outsize role in November.}}

McChrystal said his interest in the PAC is about ensuring the accuracy of information leading up to the election, even if it involves chasing viral attention with emotional appeals and other tactics rewarded by online clicks.

McChrystal said his interest in the PAC is about ensuring the accuracy of information leading up to the election, even if it involves chasing viral attention with emotional appeals and other tactics rewarded by online clicks.

"Everyone wishes the Pandora's box was closed and none of this existed, but it does," McChrystal said in an interview.

Hougland's PAC differs from more traditional Democratic-aligned PACs, such as [[Priorities USA]] and [[American Bridge 21st Century]], in embracing the practice of paying influencers to convey their messaging. The approach raised eyebrows and prompted tech companies to clarify their rules when it was put into practice by the [[Michael Bloomberg 2020 presidential campaign]].  "I have no trepidation about paying content creators in seeking out and amplifying the best narratives," Hougland said.

 

Stephanie Berger, a former national finance director for the Democratic National Committee, is raising funds for the initiative, which is an extension of Hougland's technology company, Main Street One. Andrew Tobias, a former DNC treasurer, was an earlier investor in the start-up. Main Street One's leaders were previously involved in cultivating digital narratives in [[Eastern Europe]]an [[Color Revolution]]s and have now waded into American politics. The organization ran a campaign that paid influencers to boost [[Kentucky]] Democrats before the gubernatorial election last fall. A super PAC supporting Sen. [[Cory Booker]] of New Jersey in his bid for the Democratic nomination paid Main Street One more than $500,000 for similar services in 2019.

 

Hougland said his aim is to maintain the "largest repository of content against Trump," and to be nimble in boosting organic material that is already performing well, such as videos produced by the Biden campaign.

His ambivalence is shared by large parts of the Democratic Party, which recoiled at an effort, brought to light after the [[2018 Midterm elections]], to use Russian-inspired tactics, including the creation of fake accounts, to sway the 2017 Senate election in [[Alabama]] against [[Roy Moore]].

A similar effort was brought to light after the [[2018 Midterm elections]], including the creation of fake accounts to sway the 2017 Senate election in [[Alabama]] against [[Roy Moore]].  Joe Trippi, a Democratic operative who helped manage the 2017 Senate campaign in Alabama, said the president is partially insulated from the fallout over his own remarks by a "media echo chamber that is very disciplined about just picking up whatever the misdirection of the day is and amplifying it." That protective armor makes it all the more critical for Democrats to turn up the volume on anti-Trump messaging, he said.

==Afghan War==

==Afghan War==