Boris Johnson vows to set up a cyber task force to root out Russian hackers and social media trolls
BORIS Johnson is setting up up a cyber task force to root out Russian hackers and social media trolls.
The Foreign Secretary is building a geek army to tackle bots and fake accounts used to spread lies and interfere in elections.
The action comes amid evidence Vladimir Putin is behind a surge of disinformation about the Salisbury germ agent attack.
About 2,800 robotic social media accounts linked to the Kremlin have posted lies which have reached 7.5million people in Britain.
Mr Johnson has ordered officials to accelerate work across Europe to identify, expose and counter Twitter trolls and Russian bots.
He is working with allies to confront propaganda and fake news that have become routine in Russia’s bid to destabilise, hide facts and sow discord around the world.
BoJo told The Sun on Sunday: “One of the reasons that the Russian government may be targeting Britain is due to our persistent refusal to stand by while Putin’s toxic regime causes disruption across the world – from Ukraine, to Syria and now to the UK.
“We will not be cowed by their actions – and the strength and solidarity of the international community is showing Russia that self-isolation is to their own detriment.”
The heightened efforts come after 21 different narratives were used by the Russia to explain away the chemical weapons attack.
The aim was to distort facts, confuse the public and hide the truth. The Kremlin began using the tactic on Salisbury even before Theresa May first spoke in the Commons.
This included sending conspiracy theories and false narratives into overdrive.
Examples from state media mouthpieces such as RT and Sputnik, and on social media included blaming the UK and other Western governments, citing “Russophobia” and a desire to isolate Russia from the rest of the world as motives.
With the support of 12 other governments, NATO and the EU, Britain is diminishing the platforms which Russia has exploited across Europe.
This includes working to end the Kremlin’s near monopoly over Russian language media by bringing the best of British expertise to brave independent media outlets to provide plurality and balance to what Russian speakers consume.
In exposing false narratives like those deployed after Salisbury, identifying and dealing with suspicious online activity, exposing Russian puppet social media accounts and trolls, and working with tech giants, we are driving in the right direction and aiming to put an end to the danger of disinformation.
The Foreign Secretary added: “What we’ve seen over the last week comes as no surprise. Distortion of facts and divergence from the truth in a way that only the Kremlin would instigate. Except it’s a tactic that the world was waiting for. They are fooling nobody.
“The Kremlin’s controlling hand over its media organisations sought to dismantle the truth and introduce uncertainty even before the Prime Minister uttered a word on the issue.
"But instead of succeeding, they have simply fuelled the fire of Russian guilt.
“And soon enough, Twitter trolls began popping up, mirroring the lies peddled by state controlled media anchors and Russian political figures.
“But with the investment from the UK and intensified efforts across Europe and beyond, including alongside international partners and tech giants, these effects are being diminished.
"By working together, we can identify, expose and eliminate accounts which exist simply to cause harm.
“That is a prime example of how international unity and solidarity is bringing an end to the disruptive use of disinformation.”
The Foreign Secretary visited Russia at the end of last year with hope for a better future in relations.
Personally citing his position as a Russophile, he offered Russia an opportunity to reach out to the world for the greater good.
The Russian Government instead continued to act maliciously.