UK focus on Russian Twitter activity will increase

Subject

Studies of Russian Twitter activity during the Brexit vote.

Significance

After Twitter disclosed to the US Congress a list of accounts linked to the St Petersburg-based Internet Research Agency, accused of posting pro-Kremlin messages, UK researchers have found a similar trail of social media activity around the June 2016 EU referendum.

Impacts

• UK public pressure for a robust response may increase after warnings about attempted hacking of energy, telecoms and media infrastructure.
• Suggestions that Russian interference skewed the EU referendum result will add another element of complexity to the Brexit debate.
• The presence of fake news and bots on Twitter may erode users' trust in the platform.