Federal probe finds “coordinated” social media trolls in Alberta election

EDMONTON — A federal agency investigating the recent Alberta election has found evidence the campaign featured tactics including co-ordinated, false social media postings.

The report from the Rapid Response Mechanism, created by the G-7 to monitor foreign influence on democratic elections, says those tactics were mostly used by supporters of the United Conservative Party, which won the April vote.

It adds that social media accounts from lobbying groups were also spreading disinformation during the campaign.

The agency says no foreign actors were involved, although the Albertans seemed to copy tactics that have been used in other elections.

It concluded that although false postings were being systematically disseminated on social media, they weren’t central to the debate taking place among voters.

It discounts previous estimates that as many as one-third of postings during the campaign were from so-called “bots.”