HACKERS SOWING DISCORD

LESS than two weeks before pivotal elections for the European Parliament, a constellation of websites and social media accounts linked to Russia or far right groups is-

Is spreading disinformation, encouraging discord and amplifying distrust in the centrist parties that have governed for decades.

European Union investigators, academics and advocacy groups say the new disinformation efforts share many of the digital fingerprints or tactics used in Russian attacks in the past, including the Kremlin's interference in 2016 United States presidential campaign.

Fringe political commentary sites in Italy, for instance, bear the same electronic signatures as pro-Kremlin websites, while a pair of German political groups share servers used by the Russian hackers who attacked the Democratic National Committee in the United States.

The activity offers fresh evidence that despite indictments, expulsions and recriminations, Russia remains undeterred in its campaign to widen political divisions and weaken Western Institutions.

Despite online policing efforts by American technology companies, it remains far easier to spread false information than to stop it.

Russia remains a driving force, but researchers also discovered numerous copycats, particularly on the far right.

Those groups often echo Kremlin talking points, making it difficult to discern the lines between Russian propaganda, far-right disinformation and genuine political debate.

Investigators are confident, however, that networks of  Facebook profiles, Twitter accounts, WhatsApp groups and websites are spreading false and divisive stories about the subjects like the European Union, NATO and immigrants.

Conspiracy theories are peddled freely, including that last month's Notre- Dame fire was the work of  Islamic terrorists, a spy agency or an elite cabal that secretly runs the world.

The honor and serving of the latest global operational research on ''Hackers & Workings'',  continues. The World Students Society thanks authors and researchers Matt Apuzzo and Adam Satariano.