Internet Research Agency Controversy: Documents From Russian Troll Farm Leak Online, Expose 2016 Election Operations

Documents detailing the inner workings of the Internet Research Agency (IRA), a troll farm at the center of Russia’s attempts to interfere with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, have surfaced online, the Daily Beast reported.

The leaked data found its way online through an online auction site that sells off stolen information. The documents reveal individuals targeted by the IRA, as well as social media accounts used by members of the Russian organization.

The IRA’s operations on Facebook and Twitter have already been well-documented and led executives from those social media firms to testify before the U.S. Congress. But the documents reveal the group also used platforms like Reddit and Tumblr to spread its propaganda and attempt to exert influence.

Content produced by the Russia-backed troll farm, including websites like BlackMattersUS.com, received significant exposure on Reddit. Communities on the platform including r/The_Donald and r/HillaryForPrison — both of which backed Donald Trump's campaign — shared material produced by the Russian trolls.

The document leak also revealed at least 21 Tumblr accounts created and operated by the IRA. The accounts, which are now all defunct, often used odd slang terms in what appeared to be an attempt to appeal to an African American audience. The accounts used terms like “Ghetta Blasta,” “Hustle In A Trap” and “Swag In The Rain.”

The Tumblr accounts predominantly shared memes and images that talked about what it was like being black in America. In addition to the memes, likely designed to get shares and followers, the group also pushed out propaganda including conspiracy theories about Clinton and details about fake protests.

IRA also used 9Gag, a popular meme and image sharing site that is one of the 300 most visited websites in the world, according to data from web traffic tracking site Alexa.

The trove of documents from the IRA also revealed two rallies that were organized by the group: one in western New York and one in Stone Mountain, Georgia -- a small town outside of Atlanta that features rock carvings of Confederate generals Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee and President Jefferson Davis.

According to the documents, the IRA targeted a number of activists and prominent civil rights figures in the leadup to the protests, especially the one held outside of Atlanta.

While the group was not successful in getting its targets to share content, it did manage to get demonstrators to show up to the rally held on April 23, 2016. Reports about the rally noted there was conflict between the protesters and a group of white nationalists. The event turned violent and at least eight protesters were arrested during the incident.

The IRA was the subject of a set of indictments handed down last month by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. The group was alleged to be taking part in an “information warfare against the United States,” with the stated goal of “spread[ing] distrust towards the candidates and the political system in general.”

Twelve Russians with ties to the IRA were named in the indictment and charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud and a total of six counts of aggravated identity theft.