[RajT88]

> I have zero doubt that it's possible somebody is scraping the replies to political articles and trying to take control of accounts that show any interest in politics, to use those accounts for other purposes because they appear to be valid accounts instead of bots.

I can't prove it, but it sure looks like this is what's going on with some of the accounts which are posting anti-datacenter content on FB. Old ladies inactive for years who all of a sudden become super activists.

A wild world indeed, and frustratingly one that Meta doesn't seem bothered by. Presumably because it drives engagement.

[epistasis]

In addition to the immediate gains of engagement, the ability to manipulate public opinion through campaigns like this are pretty explicitly the goal of some Silicon Valley oligarchs, especially the PayPal Mafia. They believe that they can control the monster that they have created in their own favor. Time will tell!