The US Cyber Command is sending direct messages to suspected Russian trolls in an effort to deter them from meddling in US and other elections.
The messages tell the trolls that US authorities have identified them and are tracking them, the New York Times reported based on the account of officials briefed on the operation.
It's the first “overseas” mission to protect US elections, including the midterms in November, according to the Times. While the outlet detailed US officials travelling to other countries to help them improve cyber security around important infrastructure, it isn't clear why this operation is characterized as “overseas” when it appears to have taken place entirely in the cyber realm.
Even though the US military is said to be defending against foreign troll operations for the first time, according to the NY Times, in fact the US has helped pioneer the use of these tactics against foreign countries to influence their elections.
A 2011 report by The Guardian revealed that the US military — specifically, US Central Command (CENTCOM) — had contracted a company to create software that would allow them to influence conversations on the net through sock puppet accounts that spread pro-American propaganda.
The program allows “one US serviceman or woman to control up to 10 separate identities based all over the world,” according to the paper.
The officials who spoke with the Times wouldn't say how many people they are…
