> The CCP bots are in full force in the comments on this post. Whoa.
I know what you mean, but it's not bots. It's not even the real 50 cent party would waste it's time with HN. Whatever activity they have in English-language social networks is probably directed at places where there's more bang for the buck. like Twitter or Reddit.
I'm not so sure. Considering even niche cesspools Kiwi Farms have (laughably transparent) CCP propagandists, it's not a stretch to think a place like HN would either.
I think it's safer to assume bad faith on the part of anyone deflecting or trying to change the subject with whataboutist tactics (if not because they are literally paid propagandists, because this tactic is never conducive to discussion) and go from there.
> I'm not so sure. Considering even niche cesspools Kiwi Farms have (laughably transparent) CCP propagandists, it's not a stretch to think a place like HN would either.
It's not surprising that trolls troll.
> I think it's safer to assume bad faith on the part of anyone deflecting or trying to change the subject with whataboutist tactics (if not because they are literally paid propagandists, because this tactic is never conducive to discussion) and go from there.
I completely agree there. The point I meant to make is it's not bots or paid agents; Western useful idiots, people who are still in the CCP propaganda-sphere, and maybe some classic trolls.
And the difference between CCP bot and CIA bot can easily be recognized. CCP bots generally don't sway and entice people using words. CIA bots are very good in making specious arguments. They understand how they can imbue people with rage.
You know what, I'm a native Chinese living in Beijing now. On some Chinese websites, such as Zhihu, the Chinese version of Quora, I saw a lot of people calling others names. Those who support Russia call the other ones American spies or Taiwan spies, those who support Ukraine call the opposites "yellow Russians".
I was thinking that people on Hacker News would be a little more reasonable, since it's "hacker" news. Yet, I see you are calling each other "Communist bots" and "CIA bots"... What a day.
There's a 300 million dollar budget to counter "chinese influence" and "promote transparency." Where does that money go? Who knows. But traditionally this goes to paying for media narratives, and in the 21st century, online comments are definitely a good bang for your buck. And star witnesses are also a good way to counter the influence of a country and demand transparency. They've done it before. [2]
I don't think we'll know the reality of this until 20 years down the road.
This money can go to a lot of different activities, and I don't see any reason to believe that it's actually about comment farms and not "white-hat" PR.
