ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Internet Research Agency

Okay, kiddo, have you ever heard of the Internet Research Agency, or IRA for short? It's kind of like a big group of people who sit in front of computers, using the internet to post things on social media and other websites. But the catch is, they don't do it for fun or for personal reasons, they get paid to do it by someone else!

Now, what do they post about? Well, that depends on who's paying them. Sometimes they'll be asked to create posts or articles that make a certain politician or political party look bad or good. Other times, they might have to make a company or product look really great, or really terrible. They might even try to influence people's opinions on certain topics, like climate change or vaccines.

But why would someone pay a group of people to do this? Well, sometimes it's to try to influence the way people vote in an election, or to make people think a certain way about a product or issue. It's kind of like advertising, but instead of trying to sell you something, they're trying to influence your thoughts and beliefs.

The IRA has gotten a lot of attention because they were believed to have been involved in Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election. Some people think they helped spread fake news stories and posts on social media that were designed to influence the way people voted.

So, in summary, the Internet Research Agency is a group of people who get paid to post things online, often to influence people's opinions or beliefs. They've been in the news because of their suspected involvement in election interference.