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TEHRAN, April 29 - Russia attempted to influence last year’s General Election in the UK by deploying thousands of online bots to help Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn defeat Prime Minister Theresa May, a new study has claimed.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) – The study, carried out by The Sunday Times in conjunction with Swansea University, found that 6,500 Russian Twitter accounts were tweeting messages in support of Labour to lend the main opposition party a hand in the fight against the ruling Conservatives.
The accounts in question, according to the report, were automated "bots" that operated under English names and were programmed to disseminate political messages.
The report prompted reaction from the government, with Culture Secretary Matt Hancock describing the findings as "extremely concerning."
“It is absolutely unacceptable for any nation to attempt to interfere in the democratic elections of another country,” he said. "The social media companies need to act to safeguard our democratic discourse and reveal what they know."
The Sunday Times said around 80 percent of the automated accounts had been created in the weeks leading up to polling day on June 8, when Corbyn managed to turn the tide and close a significant gap with May’s party in terms of popularity.
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