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Small army of "elves" fighting Russian propaganda onlineVILNIUS, Lithuania — Elves against trolls: it sounds like something out of “The Lord of the Rings.” But to Ricardas Savukynas, the battle he’s fighting is no fantasy.The 43-year-old business consultant and blogger is part of an informal internet army of Lithuanians trying to counter what they describe as hate speech and pro-Russia propaganda.“I am just a regular guy from Lithuania, a citizen, who once noticed that Russian propaganda is being spread in this country by huge numbers of groups on Facebook,” he told The Associated Press over tea at a restaurant in Vilnius’ old town. “Seeing this I thought that it cannot be a natural thing.”Savukynas’ fellow volunteers -- who’ve dubbed themselves “elves” -- patrol social media, coordinating their actions through Facebook or Skype to expose fake accounts. On a busy day, Savukynas said that fellow elves report as many as 10 or 20 to get them removed. He himself focuses on writing, maintaining a personal blog devoted to, among other things, deconstructing Soviet nostalgia or pulling apart conspiracy theories.Continued: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/lithuanian-elves-fight-russian-propaganda-online/
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Topic: Small army of "elves" fighting Russian propaganda online - AP (Read 314 times)
