More governments manipulate media with ‘bots,’ trolls: study

A 3D-printed Facebook like button is seen in front of a displayed Russian flag in this illustration taken October 25, 2017. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration - RC1BB6A8CF30

WASHINGTON: More governments are following the lead of Russia and China by manipulating social media and suppressing dissent online in a grave threat to democracy, a human rights watchdog said Tuesday. 

A study of Internet freedom in 65 countries found 30 governments are deploying some form of manipulation to distort online information, up from 23 the previous year.