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<ul><li>The skies over many parts of Gurugram turned dark on Saturday as swarms of <keyword id="1660797" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="locusts">locusts</keyword> descended on the town.</li><li>The migratory pests are likely to spare the national capital for now, officials said.</li><li>The pests, he said, were headed towards Palwal in Haryana. </li><li>In May, India battled a devastating <keyword id="7710870" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Desert-locust">desert locust</keyword> outbreak. The crop-destroying swarms first attacked Rajasthan and then spread to Punjab, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. </li></ul>The skies over many parts of Gurugram turned dark on Saturday as swarms of locusts descended on the town, but the migratory pests are likely to spare the national capital for now, officials said. The dark cloud of locusts, spread across two kilometres, crossed the suburban city, touched the Delhi-Gurugram border but did not enter Delhi. "The swarms moved from west to east. They entered Gurugram around 11.30 am," K L Gurjar of the Locust Warning Organisation, Ministry of Agriculture, told . The pests, he said, were headed towards Palwal in Haryana. Alarmed at the invasion of the locusts, which settled on trees, rooftops and plants, many residents of Gurugram shared videos from their high-rise perches. Swarms of locusts were seen in condominiums such as <keyword id="585521" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Beverly-Park">Beverly Park</keyword>, Garden Estate and Heritage City as well as buildings in Sikanderpur in the high-rise town bordering Delhi. In May, India battled a devastating desert locust outbreak. The crop-destroying swarms first attacked Rajasthan and then spread to Punjab, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

Locust clouds over Gururgram, likely to spare Delhi

The modern workplace continues to evolve rapidly, with new trends emerging as organisations adapt to the post-pandemic reality and shifting <keyword id="21219152" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="employee-expectations" source="keywords">employee expectations</keyword>. From the rise of <keyword id="21883859" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="flexible-work" source="keywords">flexible work</keyword> arrangements to the dismantling of traditional hierarchies, businesses are rethinking how they operate. Here are five key <keyword id="19999150" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="workplace-trends" source="keywords">workplace trends</keyword> that are shaping the way we work in 2024. 1. <keyword id="20037519" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="coffee-badging" source="keywords">Coffee badging</keyword> As companies increasingly push for employees to return to the office, a new trend has quietly surfaced: coffee badging. This practice refers to workers making a brief appearance at the office—just long enough to grab a cup of coffee—before heading home or elsewhere. It’s most common among those in hybrid roles who feel the pressure to show face but are reluctant to stay for the entire day. The trend has emerged largely as a response to return-to-office (RTO) mandates, which many employees view as outdated and unnecessary. According to a survey by Owl Labs, 58% of hybrid workers have coffee badged at some point, while 47% say they would consider quitting if strict RTO policies were enforced. For many, working from home provides a better balance between productivity and comfort, and the hassle of commuting to the office simply isn’t worth it. Interestingly, the survey also found that coffee badging is more common among men and millennials. While the reasons behind this are not entirely clear, it could relate to workplace culture or generational differences in attitudes towards flexibility. However, coffee badging is ultimately a symptom of deeper issues: a disconnect between what employees want and what employers expect. To address this, companies need to open up dialogue about flexibility and reconsider how they measure success—focusing on outcomes rather than mere presence in the office. 2. <keyword id="21771460" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="unbossing" source="keywords">Unbossing</keyword> Micromanagement has long been a point of frustration for many workers, but the concept of “unbossing” aims to shift that dynamic. Instead of traditional top-down leadership, unbossing involves giving employees more autonomy and reducing the layers of middle management. It’s about empowering workers to make decisions and contribute ideas, creating a more collaborative environment. In recent years, major corporations such as Meta, Shopify, and Bayer have embraced this trend, trimming their management structures to foster more direct communication and faster decision-making. In Meta’s case, CEO Mark Zuckerberg declared 2023 as the “year of efficiency,” with the company reducing its middle management as part of an effort to flatten its hierarchy. The idea is that cutting these roles reduces bureaucracy and encourages innovation. While this model has its advocates, not everyone is convinced it’s a positive change. Critics argue that removing middle managers could lead to a lack of mentorship for younger employees, who often benefit from guidance during the early stages of their careers. Nevertheless, unbossing continues to gain traction, and we’re likely to see more organisations adopt this approach as they look to streamline their operations. 3. Flexible fidelity With flexibility now a top priority for workers, “Flexible Fidelity” has emerged as a new approach to workplace loyalty. This concept moves away from the idea that loyalty is shown by hours spent in the office, instead focusing on outcomes, trust, and mutual respect between employers and employees. Flexible work arrangements are no longer just a perk—they’re a necessity for many workers, particularly Millennials and Gen Z. According to a Fidelity report, 65% of younger employees consider flexibility the most important non-financial benefit when evaluating job offers. This trend has been driven by a growing demand for work-life balance, with employees increasingly prioritising their well-being alongside their professional responsibilities. 4. Founder mode Silicon Valley has also given birth to a unique leadership style known as “Founder Mode,” where CEOs take a hands-on approach to running their companies, much like they did in the early days of their startups. Popularised by the likes of Airbnb’s Brian Chesky, founder mode sees executives bypass traditional management structures to engage directly with employees and make key decisions themselves. This trend reflects a belief that founders, who have a deep connection to their companies’ vision and culture, can make better, more intuitive decisions than professional managers. While this approach has its critics—some argue that it can lead to overreach and burnout—it’s clear that founder mode resonates with many business leaders who want to remain closely involved with their company’s day-to-day operations. 5. Swarm intelligence Inspired by the collective behaviour seen in nature, “swarm intelligence” is a growing trend in the workplace, particularly in decision-making processes. By leveraging the combined insights of a diverse group, this approach encourages collaboration and problem-solving, leading to better outcomes for organisations. Swarm intelligence prioritises collective wisdom, valuing the different perspectives each team member brings to the table. As companies grapple with increasingly complex challenges, the ability to pool knowledge and expertise has become a vital tool for innovation and success.

Coffee badging to unbossing: 5 workplace trends you need to be aware of

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Russia outfitted its Shahed-136 drones with SIM cards and antennae, a war expert said in a new report.</li><li>The adaptation, first observed in late 2023, appears intended to help with navigation and strike capabilities.</li></ul>Russia equipped its deadly attack drones with cellphone parts to help improve their targeting capabilities, a war expert noted in a new report.Jack Watling, a senior research fellow and a land warfare expert at the UK-based Royal United Services Institute think tank, highlighted in a report last week that Russia has placed SIM cards in its explosive Shahed-136 drones and mounted antennae on the wings."These were used in two ways," Watling wrote in a September 6 <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/rusi-defence-systems/tactical-opportunities-and-risks-mobile-phones">analysis</a> about the risks and opportunities of mobile phones on the battlefield."First, the UAV used the network to assist with navigation by triangulating off the bearings of mobile phone masts," he said, using the term UAV to describe an unmanned aerial vehicle."Second," he said, "the Russians were sending telemetry data from the UAVs back through the mobile phone network to help plan follow up strikes."The Shahed-136 is an Iranian one-way attack drone that Russia has been using to strike civilian infrastructure and energy facilities across Ukraine for two years. It has a range of more than 600 miles and carries a warhead of nearly 100 pounds.These notorious drones are relatively cheap compared to other Russian weapons like ballistic or cruise missiles and can be launched in swarms in a bid to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses. Moscow also has a locally produced version of the Shahed called the Geran-2.<div type="image" title="Wreckage of a drone amid dirt and rubble." height="1298" width="1732" msid="113268439" hostid="261" sizebytes="131854"></div>Russia's use of the cell network in Ukraine is not all upside, though. There are vulnerabilities as well."There is of course something rather suspicious about a mobile phone travelling at 350 kmph, and so these behaviours could be tracked, and it is possible to cut off SIMs identified as being used for such malicious purposes," Watling wrote."This is only possible, however, if the mobile phone network has effective relationships with security organisations," he said.Russia appears to have been <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/downed-russian-shahed-drone-found-with-ukrainian-sim-card-2023-12">using SIM cards to help direct and pilot</a> its Shahed drones since late 2023, when Ukrainians discovered 4G modems that connect to the country's Kyivstar telecommunications network in drones that had been shot down.Cellphones and related technology have played a role on both sides of the war, with Russia and Ukraine using enemy signals to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-soldiers-rely-phones-to-fight-ukraine-risks-killing-them-2024-7">aid in their targeting</a> and strikes. Cellular data, for instance, can be used to pinpoint the location of large troop gatherings, which can then make soldiers vulnerable to attacks.Some militaries are trying to rein this behavior in. Russia, for instance, has repeatedly, albeit unsuccessfully, tried to get a handle on this problem. And recognizing the challenge, US Army officers have also been warning American forces that <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cellphones-can-get-you-killed-modern-battlefield-army-officer-2024-4">bringing personal devices</a> to a future fight could have serious consequences.However, Watling argued militaries shouldn't view phones solely as threats."Soldiers should plan to leverage the advantages of these networks and be properly informed about the associated risks and accompanying mitigations," he said. "Used properly, mobile phone networks can help militaries to hide in the noise, distribute critical data, and deconflict with civilian authorities."

Russia put SIM cards in its exploding one-way attack drones to use Ukraine's cellphone network for strikes, war expert says

By Shakoor Rather New Delhi, Feb 6 () The recent locust outbreak along the India-Pakistan border may have been driven by the longer-than-usual monsoon rains across the region, and frequent cyclones in the Indian Ocean, scientists say. In India, the outbreak -- the biggest in 26 years -- began late last year in Gujarat and Rajasthan states, and recently Punjab was also affected. In Pakistan, the government declared national emergency last week to eliminate the attacking swarms of desert locusts, which were destroying crops on a large scale in the country's Punjab province. "The current locust outbreak is the biggest in 25 years in Ethiopia and Somalia, 26 years in India, 70 years in Kenya," Keith Cressman, locust forecasting officer at the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) told . "The outbreak started after heavy amounts of rains over east Africa and the Arabian Peninsula," Roxy Mathew Koll, a climate scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) in Pune added. According to the FAO, locusts are the oldest migratory pests in the world. These insects differ from ordinary grasshoppers in their ability to change behaviour, and form swarms that can migrate over large distances. The most devastating of all locust species is the Desert Locust (Schistocerca gregaria), according to FAO. The locusts, which are considered to be among the most dangerous pests known to humanity, reproduce fast -- 20-fold within three months, the FAO experts noted. An adult locust can eat quantity equal to its weight daily, and just a single square kilometer of swarm can contain up to 80 million adults, they said. Koll noted the heavy rains which drove the locust outbreak occurred due to intense storm activity sourced from the Arabian Sea during the last two seasons. "Heavy rain triggers growth of vegetation in arid areas where desert locusts can then grow and breed," he said. Koll explained that recently climate change accentuated the phenomenon called the "Indian Ocean Dipole", with warmer than usual waters to its west, and cooler waters to its east. "On top of that, the rising temperatures due to global warming made the Western Indian Ocean particularly warm," he said. Cressman added that the current locust invasion in India by an unprecedented number of swarms originated in southern Iran from their breeding in spring last year. "Summer breeding along both sides of the Indo-Pakistan border was much higher than normal due to the swarm invasion and the monsoon rains lasting one month longer than normal, allowing up to three generations of breeding," Cressman said. The outbreak originated from two cyclones (May and Oct 2018) that allowed three generations of breeding - from June 2018 to March 2019 -- in the Arabian Peninsula, and caused an 8,000-fold increase in locust numbers, he added. According to Cressman, this was followed by further breeding after unusually heavy rains in Iran and Yemen, and finally another cyclone in the Horn of Africa in early December 2019. "Generally enhanced convection (cloud formation and rains) and cyclone activity follows the warm waters as they derive the energy and moisture from the ocean," Koll explained. As a result, he said, regions surrounding the warm western Indian Ocean -- such as East Africa, Arabian Peninsula and Indian subcontinent received a lot of rains during the last two seasons. "Along with that, the cyclone activity over the west Indian Ocean was also exceptional -- we saw the largest number, and the strongest cyclones this year -- releasing more rains. This might have triggered the locust outbreak," he said. India has not witnessed any full-blown locust cycles after 1962, however, they experts said, large-scale upsurges were observed during 1978 and 1993. Globally, Cressman said, the current generation of swarms formed shortly after last season's crops were harvested, but there has been considerable damage to pastures -- a primary livelihood in the Horn of Africa. "It is not only warm temperatures that favour locusts but also rainfall. The latter is not expected to occur is sufficient quantities until the start of the summer monsoon in Rajasthan which is usually in July, therefore, breeding now is not very likely in India," he said. "Climate models do show that the number and intensity of Indian Ocean Dipole events -- like the one we saw in 2019 -- are going to increase further in the future," Koll added. SAR VIS AKJ SARSAR

Prolonged monsoon in Indo-Pak region drove recent locust outbreak: Scientists

<ul><li>In a first for the universe, two black holes may have merged to create a flare of light. </li><li>The secret to this astronomical event is the fact that they were circling a third <keyword id="2104882" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="20" keywordseo="supermassive-black-hole">supermassive black hole</keyword> with the mass of millions of suns. </li><li>Another flare may be in the works over the next few years, as the kick from the <keyword id="9470442" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="black-hole-merger">black hole merger</keyword> should cause it to enter the supermassive <keyword id="6409890" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="black-hole">black hole</keyword>’s disk again. </li></ul>A black hole merger between two partner black holes — with a combined mass of 150 suns but only as big as Lucknow — may have exploded in a flare of light for the first time ever. Normally when black holes merge they produce <keyword id="1860685" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="gravitational-waves">gravitational waves</keyword> that ripple out across the universe, but they have never been known to give off any light. However, the possibility has long been speculated by scientists. This event — called S190521g — was spotted by Caltech's Zwicky Transient Facility (<a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/black-hole-collision-may-have-exploded-light">ZTF</a>). Described in the <a href="https://authors.library.caltech.edu/104019/">Physical Review Letters</a> the burst of light happened because the two black holes were orbiting a third, must larger, supermassive black hole. Creating light out of darkness when two black holes collide "These objects swarm like angry bees around the monstrous queen bee at the centre,” said co-author KE Saavik Ford. She explains that in most cases black holes find their gravitational partners but usually drift apart after a while in all the madness. In the case of a supermassive black hole, the flowing gas flows into a kind of ballroom dance, organising the smaller black holes to remain in a synchronised dance around each other. When the black holes finally merge — which a more violent in the vast expanse of space — the resulting kick ploughs through the gas like a speeding bullet that creates a bright flare, visible even with telescopes. The flash is difficult to spot because it’s predicted to begin days, or even weeks, after the initial burst of gravitational waves due to the merger of the black holes. In the case of S190521g, ZTF didn’t catch the event right way when it occurred in May 2019. It was only when a team of scientists went back to look through archived data, they found the signal, which started days after the initial event. Other explanations may also exist The team at ZTF observed the flare slowly fade over the course of one month. They tried to get a more detailed look at the light of the supermassive black hole — called a spectrum — but by the time they spotted it, it had already faded quite a bit. In our study, we conclude that the flare is likely the result of a black hole merger, but we cannot completely rule out other possibilities," said Matthew Graham, the lead author of the study. However, the study points out that the scientists were largely able to rule other explanations like a supernova or a tidal disruption event — when a black hole eats a star. Their observations show that the behaviour of the black hole was fairly constant over the last 15 years. It was only in May when there was a sudden surge."Supermassive black holes like this one have flares all the time. They are not quiet objects, but the timing, size, and location of this flare was spectacular," said co-author Mansi Kasliwal. In the next few years, the new black hole is likely to cause another flare since the kick from the merger should cause it to enter the supermassive black hole’s disk again. In order to confirm the findings, Ligo scientists are likely to publish their own observations in the coming months. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/a-rare-trio-of-supermassive-black-holes-spotted-as-three-galaxies-collide/articleshow/71322808.cms">A rare trio of supermassive black holes spotted as three galaxies collide</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/supermassive-black-hole-origin-hunt-by-nasa-and-other-space-agencies/articleshow/71286977.cms">Supermassive black holes grew from mysterious ‘seeds’ that are yet to be found</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/supermassive-blackhole-is-tearing-apart-a-star-which-got-too-close/articleshow/71324843.cms">Supermassive black hole is tearing apart a star which got too close</a>

Colliding black holes the size of Lucknow merged to create light for the first time

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="http://www.navy.mil/view_single.asp?id=22663">US Navy</a>US Navy destroyers</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>The US has been putting increased pressure on the Chinese maritime militia, a paramilitary sea force disguised as a fishing fleet, in an effort to deter provocations in the South China Sea.</li><li>The US Navy's top admiral told his Chinese counterpart earlier this year that provocations by militia vessels would be treated the same as those carried out by Chinese navy warships.</li><li>Last week, the US ambassador to the Philippines told reporters that US <keyword id="6354810" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="defense">defense</keyword> obligations to its ally could be triggered by maritime militia attacks.</li><li>As seemingly-aggressive incidents involving Chinese fishing vessels occur frequently in the South China Sea, this rhetorical shift in the US position signals a lower threshold for confrontation and conflict in the disputed waterway.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's home page for more stories.</a></li></ul>The US is ratcheting up the pressure on China's sea forces in a way that could lower the threshold for conflict in the South China Sea, a hotbed of tension and dispute.The US is signaling a tougher stance toward the Chinese maritime militia, a paramilitary force disguised as a fishing fleet that often harasses foreigns rivals at the fringes of China's vast sovereignty claims in the disputed waterway.The Chinese maritime militia "thrives within the shadows of plausible deniability," <a href="https://usnwc.edu/Faculty-and-Departments/Directory/Andrew-Erickson">according</a> to Andrew Erickson, a leading expert at the US Naval War College on this particular sea force, which regularly harasses foreign ships.The Department of Defense first called attention to the maritime militia in its 2017 report on China's military power. The report <a href="https://www.defense.gov/Portals/1/Documents/pubs/2017_China_Military_Power_Report.PDF?source=GovDelivery">explained</a> that China uses its commercial fishing fleet to engage in gray-zone aggression, "to enforce maritime claims and advance its interests in ways that are calculated to fall below the threshold of provoking conflict."It wasn't until this year, though, that the US really began putting pressure on the militia forces.Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson warned his Chinese counterpart during a meeting in Beijing in January that the US Navy will treat coast guard and maritime militia vessels as combatants and respond to provocations the same way it would a Chinese navy ship, the Financial Times <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/ab4b1602-696a-11e9-80c7-60ee53e6681d">reported</a>.In March, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo publicly assured the Philippines that the US would come to its defense in the event that it was attacked in the South China Sea. "Any armed attack," the secretary <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-philippines-usa/pompeo-assures-philippines-of-us-protection-in-event-of-sea-conflict-idUSKCN1QI3NM">explained</a>, "on Philippine forces, aircraft or public vessels in the South China Sea will trigger mutual defense obligations."US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim clarified the earlier assurances on Friday, telling reporters that US security guarantees apply to potential acts of aggression by the Chinese maritime militia. "Any armed attack, I would think that would include government-sanctioned militias," the ambassador explained, <a href="https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/06/16/1926840/sea-militia-attacks-could-trigger-us-obligations-under-defense-treaty">according</a> to The Philippine Star. The increased pressure is intended to change China's strategic calculus in the contested waterway, experts argue."By injecting greater uncertainty about how the US will respond to China's grey-zone coercion, the US hopes to deter Chinese destabilizing maritime behaviour, including its reliance on coast guard and maritime militia vessels to intimidate its smaller neighbours," Bonnie Glaser, a China expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/ab4b1602-696a-11e9-80c7-60ee53e6681d">told</a> the Financial Times.At the same time, it potentially makes it easier for a lower-level dispute between China and its neighbors to escalate, especially considering the ambiguity surrounding both the US deterrence posture and the role of the maritime militia.Incidents involving Chinese fishing vessels, potential members of the maritime militia, are frequent occurrences in the South China Sea.For instance, in April, more than 200 Chinese fishing vessels allegedly swarmed Thitu Island, a Philippine-occupied territory in the Spratly Islands. And, last week, a suspected Chinese vessel allegedly rammed a Philippine ship in the South China Sea, sinking it and then sailing off as nearly two dozen Filipino fishermen fought for their lives in open water.It is unclear exactly what type of incident might trigger US defense obligations. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-k2-harder-climb-mt-everest-2017-9">Mount Everest is not the hardest mountain to climb - here's what makes K2 so much worse</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

It looks like the US has been quietly lowering the threshold for conflict in the South China Sea

y Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesPresident Donald Trump and the Twitter logo are seen in this photo illustration.<ul class="summary-list"><li>Twitter suspended what appeared to be a network of pro-Trump activists using an app called Power10 to boost their messaging.</li><li>Using this app, these users were able to effectively turn their accounts into bots - automated amplifiers of posts - some of which Twitter has banned for attempting to distort political conversations online. </li><li>The app exposes a flaw in Twitter's ability to enforce its anti-disinformation and spamming policies, experts have said. </li><li>The tool boosted messages by President Donald Trump and his allies, as well as members of the QAnon conspiracy theory movement. </li><li>The tool was built by GOP operative Jason Sullivan, a protege of Roger Stone, who promoted it on social media. </li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>A loophole in Twitter's anti-spamming safeguards allowed users to covertly flood the platform with disinformation and conspiracy theories for years, a Business Insider investigation has found. In an operation apparently masterminded by Jason Sullivan - an associate of Donald Trump's former adviser Roger Stone - supporters of the president were encouraged to deploy an app called Power10. It enabled them to automatically retweet hundreds of messages from Trump and his allies. In effect, it transformed their accounts into automated feeds that were able to behave with a coordination similar to the networks of fake accounts, or "bots," Russia deployed in a bid to subvert the 2016 presidential election. But because they were real accounts it made it difficult for Twitter to detect the operation and establish that it broke its rules against spamming, former CIA analyst and disinformation expert Cindy Otis told Business Insider. REUTERS/Kevin LamarqueJason Sullivan, pictured in Washington, D.C., on June 1, 2018.The operation was able to continue for three years until Twitter suspended a number of accounts for violating its rules. Power10 is no longer available.Otis said that automatic retweet software, such as Hootsuite, is widely used to share political messages. But Power10 is the first case she knows of it being used by supporters of a US political campaign to spread disinformation. Apps such as Power10 use real accounts, which can "make it challenging for platforms to decide what's okay automation and what's bad automation," said Otis."Ultimately, Twitter decided Power10 didn't follow their policies." The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment on the use of Power10 by activists backing the president, neither did the Republican National Committee. After being contacted by Business Insider, Sullivan strenuously denied seeking to subvert Twitter's rules with Power10.Business Insider reached Sullivan via Twitter direct message to ask him to discuss the app. He initially agreed to speak, but ultimately only gave a single-line response to a list of questions.Business Insider asked Sullivan what he sought to achieve with the app, whether he intended to subvert Twitter's policies, and whether he condoned the spread of disinformation by the app. Seeming to respond only to a question about whether the app was a "deliberate attempt" to get round Twitter's rules, Sullivan wrote: "It was a deliberate attempt to make sure Americans could actually get their word out. Censorship is REAL. THAT should be your story."His response may refer to claims from Trump and some allies that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-to-speak-to-conservatives-at-social-media-summit-2019-7?r=US&amp;IR=T">social media platforms and search engines</a> systematically suppress their voices online, which has been repeatedly debunked.Twitter declined to comment on the record for this story.<h2>'Operation Swarm'</h2>Jess Hernandez, a post-graduate researcher in online disinformation at Arizona State University, and Cody Webb, founder of AI analytics start-up web.ai, gathered information on how Power10 was able to spread messages, and the kind of messages it spread, by tracking the app while it was still live.They were not able to identify how everybody account which used the app, or to calculate its total reach. However, they found that a cluster of 73 accounts were able to generate 106,000 retweets in a single month.All identified users of the app were sharing pro-Trump propaganda. According to Hernandez and Webb, those who signed up provided consent for their accounts to automatically retweet messages from selected accounts, with the apparent intention of spreading pro-Trump messaging in coordinated clusters.They were able to measure the effects of the service thanks to a program they designed to detect the tweet's source - in this case Power10. They were then able to break down the information and analyse it into themes. This image shows the sign-up page for granting the app access to a Twitter user's account. The app requested broad control over real accounts - choosing what they shared, how they interacted, and who they followed or unfollowed. Cody WebbThis screen greeted users when they signed in to the Power10 app. It requested sweeping power over activists' accountsSign-up information was shared quietly within online pro-Trump groups - with strict instructions not to share the information with their political opponents. "Kindly share this program with #Maga Twitter users via PRIVATE message or EMAIL only," <a href="https://twitter.com/conspirator0/status/1172975144106627072?s=20">read one message to users</a>. #Maga is short for "Make America Great Again," a Trump election slogan."We don't want our little 'secret weapon' that we call OPERATION SWARM getting out to the Dems." Under the influence of Power10, the accounts effectively became bots - accounts that automatically share messages according to a broader plan.But, since the accounts were also run by real people, and had substantial histories of independent content, it was difficult for Twitter to notice the artificial activity and take action against it, according to Otis, the ex-CIA analyst. Otis said the accounts involved "can mostly escape de-platforming [being banned] because they're real human accounts with a long history, real followers and therefore some level of credibility." Lisa Kaplan, CEO of the Alathea Group, a consultancy that helps clients protect themselves from disinformation, in an interview with Business Insider said that she views the operation as highly unethical. "Where I come down is, you don't use the same techniques and tactics as our Russian adversaries used against us on the people you've sworn to protect for your reelection campaign," she said"To me, it should be that obvious. But there's not a whole lot of regulation in this. So it's technically not illegal - I would say it's highly unethical."Messages boosted by Power10 included posts from Trump himself and his high-profile supporters in the media and Congress.It also amplified posts by members of the QAnon movement, a network of pro-Trump conspiracists. In FBI documents obtained by <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/fbi-documents-conspiracy-theories-terrorism-160000507.html?soc_src=hl-viewer&amp;soc_trk=tw">Yahoo News last year</a>, the agency labelled the movement a domestic terror threat. Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan - the first two Muslim women to be elected to the House of Representatives - were singled out for attack in messages boosted by the app, according to data shared with Business Insider by Hernandez and Webb. Some Power10 user accounts were suspended by Twitter in September 2019 for violating rules on the platform against spamming. <a href="https://help.twitter.com/en/rules-and-policies/platform-manipulation">On its website</a>, Twitter defines spamming as behaviour "intended to artificially amplify or suppress information or engage in behavior that manipulates or disrupts people's experience on Twitter."<h2>Domestic political operators mimic Russian tactics </h2>Concern about apps such as Power10 follows a study from the <a href="https://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2019/april/tackling-domestic-disinformation--what-the-social-media-companie.html">Stern Center for Business and Human Rights at New York University last year</a>. It found that, increasingly, it is domestic political actors, not just foreign, who are flooding social media with political disinformation.Political operators are exploiting digital marketing techniques and loopholes to spread disinformation, and social media platforms have been slow to react, often out of concern about violating the First Amendment rights of users.In the wake of Russian interference in the the 2016 election, both Democratic and Republican campaigns have been accused of using Russia-style disinformation tactics to subvert elections.In 2017, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/19/us/alabama-senate-roy-jones-russia.html">Democratic operatives ran a network of fake Facebook accounts</a> where they spread attacks about the Republican rival of Democratic Senate candidate Doug Jones. President Trump' election campaign has spread doctored videos and promoted conspiracies designed to erode support for his opponents. In December <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/21/technology/LaCorte-edition-news.html">The New York Times reported</a> that former Fox News executive Ken LaCorte was hiring people in Macedonia to churn out fake news to inflame both liberals and conservatives - like the Russians did with "troll factories" in 2016. LaCorte told the Times that he started the sites to drive traffic to a news startup he founded aimed at "restoring faith in the media."<h2>Championed by the king of political 'dirty tricks'</h2>Sullivan is a former media adviser to the veteran dirty trickster Roger Stone, who was jailed for three years on February 20 for lying to Congress and witness tampering. As far back as November 2016 Stone was calling on Trump supporters to join "operation swarm," and sharing with supporters how to enable Power10, <a href="https://hillreporter.com/roger-stone-pal-encourages-trump-supporters-to-sign-up-for-operation-swarm-19055">according to the website Hill Reporter. </a>Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesRoger Stone, former adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump, leaves the E. Barrett Prettyman United States Court House May 30, 2019 in Washington, DC.Sullivan was subpoenaed in June 2018 by Robert Mueller as part of the then-special counsel's probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election about his work for Stone, <a href="https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-usa-trump-russia-stone/u-s-grand-jury-questions-social-media-advisor-to-key-trump-supporter-idUKKCN1IX5FZ">according to Reuters. </a>According to the report, Sullivan told Stone about a system he devised for creating Twitter "swarms" - "an army of sophisticated, hyper-targeted direct tweet automation systems."Sullivan is currently the chairman of the American Pro-Israel PAC. <a href="https://apip.org/our-founder">On its website</a> he claims to have "worked behind the scenes in support of the Donald J. Trump for President 2016 campaign" and to be a "technologist who has developed several apps and holds several U.S. patents." The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment on whether Sullivan worked for it back in 2016.Stone's attorney, Bruce Rogow, did not respond to several requests for comment on his client's alleged promotion of Power10. <h2>QAnon, and a hate campaign against 'The Squad'</h2>According to data shared with Business Insider by researchers Hernandez and Webb, one of the largest clusters of messages boosted by Power10 were attacks on Reps. Omar and Tlaib.They are members of the group of progressive congresswomen of color nicknamed The Squad, which Trump targeted with racist attacks last summer.Attacks on the two were pushed across the Twitter network by a core of 73 accounts, which generated most of Power10's shares and messages.Among the 73 accounts were Trump campaign allies, including Marco Gutierrez, chairman of the Latinos for Trump campaign, and pro-Trump activist Ann Vandersteel. Vandersteel did not respond to multiple requests for comment from Business Insider. Gutierrez told Business Insider that after meeting with Sullivan in 2016 "somehow we ended up putting many of our accounts under this app and that resulted in them being suspended - but I didn't know it went against community standards."He said he detached his account from the app after the suspensions. According to Gutierrez, Sullivan told him the app would enable them "to drive the conversation on Twitter. That we were going to be able to establish presence and get our narrative to move forward."In total, 1,030 messages attacking the lawmakers were pushed by the app over a three-month period, according to the data. Here is a tweet from the Trump campaign promoted by the app, spreading the unsupported claim that Rep. Omar <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/unproven-allegations-ilhan-omar-married-her-brother-explained-2019-7?r=US&amp;IR=T">married her own brother</a> so he could secure a visa to the US. Omar has said the claim is absurd and untrue.Other messages shared by the app claimed that Omar is engaged in an Islamist stealth plot to subvert democracy and install sharia law. In a statement to Business Insider, Rep. Omar described disinformation networks such as that promoted by Power10 as a threat to US democracy. She said: "We can't keep ignoring what is in front of our eyes: Trump and his convicted criminal allies do not believe in democracy. They are profiting off misinformation and conspiracy theories in an effort to fuel neo-fascist politics and making marginalized communities around the world more vulnerable.""All of these people - from the technology companies who fan the flames of hate to the lawmakers who fail to hold him accountable - bear responsibility for this crisis. All of them need to tackle these growing threats to our democracy."The app also boosted messages from accounts promoting the QAnon conspiracist movement. Its followers believe, on the basis of cryptic online messages and no supporting evidence, that Democrats and Hollywood stars covertly run a child abuse ring, which Trump is in the process of dismantling.In this tweet promoted by the app, a promoter of the theory references "The Storm", which an event in which QAnon believers say Trump will go public with his mission to extinguish the child abuse ring.The tweet groundlessly links it to the death that month of convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.Among those whose tweets were promoted is Ben Garrison, who has spread tweets and memes denounced by the Anti-Defamation League NGO as anti-Semitic, and who also promotes QAnon messages. In one cartoon distributed through Power10, Garrison references a Trump rally <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/qbaby-qanon-conspiracy-theory-trump-rally-860526/">in North Carolina in July</a> in which the president praised a baby wearing a onesie emblazoned with a letter Q. Supporters said the president was covertly displaying his support for the movement. In this cartoon, he depicts Sullivan as a key player in Trump's social media strategy (Sullivan is depicted on the right, pulling a curtain back to reveal Trump pulling the levers of Twitter.)In a statement to Business Insider, Garrison denied that his work is anti-Semitic, but did not respond to requests for comment on his alleged use of Power10. "As a cartoonist, I stand for freedom of speech for everyone-including those with whom I disagree. I am against racism, violence, anti-Semitism, censorship, and de-platforming. I have never penned an anti-Semitic cartoon. In fact, I have drawn cartoons that speak out against anti-Semitism," he said. <h2>A 'failure to act' by social media platforms leaves path open for peddlers of disinformation </h2>Kaplan, the disinformation expert, said that the government and social media companies had been slow to halt the flow of disinformation polluting political conversations.As such, she said, it is likely that domestic operators will continue to use tools such as Power10. "There has been a failure to act and have consequences. Right now the only consequence is that these accounts are removed. So I think that we will likely continue to see actors engage in ways to continue to manipulate social media algorithms for their benefit." <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/salomon-recycles-shoes-ski-boots-2020-2">How running shoes can be recycled into ski boots</a></h3>

How diehard Trump fans transformed their Twitter accounts into bots which spread conspiracies in a vast Russia-style disinformation network

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Google Play Store" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54734cc9dd08950d1c8b45b9-960/ass-hunter-game-2.jpg"></a>Google Play Store</div></div></div>Google has removed a game named "Ass Hunter", in which players hunt and kill gay man, from its Android app store. The game had been available in the Google Play store for weeks.
<a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/ass-hunter-game-where-players-kill-gays-pulled-from-googles-app-store-after-outcry-9880045.html">The Independent reports</a> that Ass Hunter was downloaded over 10,000 times, and even received over 200 five-star reviews before it was pulled from the store today. 
We asked Google for comment and will update this post if we hear back.
To win Ass Hunter, players needed to kill as many gay men as possible by shooting them with a shotgun. The game has a top-down, first-person-shooter format. If you fail to shoot the gays, they swarm your player and rape you. 
This screenshot shows a gay man sneaking up behind the player:
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Google Play Store" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54734cc9dd08950d1c8b45ba-960/ah2.jpg"></a>Google Play Store</div></div></div>
Here's how Ass Hunter described itself in the Google Play Store:
Popular game hunting on gays is now on android! Play and do not be gay! Legendary game, where you are hunter and your mission is to kill gays as much as you can or escape between them to the next level. Gays may be hidden in bushes and unexpectedly catch you. Remember! When they catch you they will do with you whatever they want ;)
Ass Hunter has existed as an online Flash game since 2006, but it seems that its developers - who seem to be French - had managed to release an Android version too. The Google Play Store bans apps that contain either hate speech or violent or bullying behaviour.

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