Political Twitter bots, many with ties to Russia, didn’t go away after the election, and experts say they’re getting more sophisticated.
James Damore, the Google engineer recently fired for his controversial memo on workplace diversity and women in tech, has quickly become a cause célèbre for the political right. He’s already appeared on at least two conservative YouTube broadcasts, and his memo has received praise from right-wing publications like Breitbart. But according to researchers at the Alliance for Securing Democracy, Damore’s story has also gone viral, thanks partly to a network of Twitter trolls and bots with ties to the Russian regime.