New data from Canadian researchers shows how Russian, U.S. interests are targeting Alberta separatist debate

Canadian researchers using artificial intelligence to track foreign interest in the Alberta separatism debate have found the province’s political discourse is being targeted online by Russian and American interests in both overt and covert ways. The first data from a study that began last month indicate Russian content farms have been pushing pro-separatist content into online communities and using Canadians to “launder” those messages by sharing such material on their social media feeds, the researchers said. The U.S. activity, on the other hand, is more overt, with prominent American influencers, podcasts and websites openly promoting Alberta separation, said Brian McQuinn,…