'Blacktivist' account linked to Russia raised suspicion among Baltimore activists

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-ci-blacktivist-social-media-20170929-story.html

Alison Knezevich and Justin FentonContact ReportersThe Baltimore Sun
Sept. 29,2017

When a Facebook page called Blacktivist promoted a rally to mark the one-year anniversary of the death of Freddie Gray last year, some Baltimore activists were immediately suspicious.

A Twitter account with the name @FreddieGrayAnn linked to the post about the march and attempted to engage local residents, including community organizers.and reporters at The Baltimore Sun and other news organizations. The account at some point changed its name to @BlacktivistDave.

“No one had ever heard of Blacktivist before,” recalled Brittany Oliver, a community advocate. “The way they were responding to us was really off.”

Now, the social media campaign has been linked to Russia. Citing unnamed sources, CNN reported this week that the Blacktivist effort had ties to the Russian government and used both Twitter and Facebook in an attempt to heighten racial tensions during the 2016 presidential campaigns.

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The Sun reported Thursday that a social media advertisement that targeted Baltimore users in the months following the 2015 riots was likely part of a broader effort by Russia to sow discontent and deepen racial tension, according to cyber security analysts.

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