Declassified Australia exposes and analyses a massive secret propaganda operation being run out of the US, that has been buried by Western media.
by Peter Cronau
by Peter Cronau
Part 3 - Covert clusters exposed
The newly-revealed covert clusters of the Information Operation (IO) received closer examination by the Stanford-Graphika report, who identified it as ‘the most extensive case of covert pro-Western IO on social media’ so far examined by open-source researchers.
The covert pro-Western fake accounts identified by Twitter and Meta had ‘created fake personas with GAN (Generative Adversarial Network-computer-generated) faces, posed as independent media outlets, leveraged memes and short-form videos, attempted to start hashtag campaigns, and launched online petitions’.
Through social media network mapping, the covert Twitter accounts were targeting Middle East audiences primarily in Iran (45%), Afghanistan, Iraq, and also Central Asia. Analysis also found ‘smaller community clusters in the network containing mixed international accounts focused loosely on a variety of international figures and organizations’.
The covert pro-Western fake accounts identified by Twitter and Meta had ‘created fake personas with GAN (Generative Adversarial Network-computer-generated) faces, posed as independent media outlets, leveraged memes and short-form videos, attempted to start hashtag campaigns, and launched online petitions’.
Through social media network mapping, the covert Twitter accounts were targeting Middle East audiences primarily in Iran (45%), Afghanistan, Iraq, and also Central Asia. Analysis also found ‘smaller community clusters in the network containing mixed international accounts focused loosely on a variety of international figures and organizations’.
Some of the covert accounts targeted regions of Russia and China. ‘The operation targeted Russian-speaking Central Asian audiences and focused on praising American aid to Central Asia and criticizing Russia, particularly its foreign policy. Two assets concentrated on China and the treatment of Chinese Muslim minorities, particularly the Uighurs in Xinjiang province.’
The researchers found the disinformation clusters focused on several pro-Western topics, being ‘US diplomatic and humanitarian efforts in the region, Russia’s alleged malign influence, Russian military interventions in the Middle East and Africa, and Chinese “imperialism” and treatment of Muslim minorities.’
The researchers found the disinformation clusters focused on several pro-Western topics, being ‘US diplomatic and humanitarian efforts in the region, Russia’s alleged malign influence, Russian military interventions in the Middle East and Africa, and Chinese “imperialism” and treatment of Muslim minorities.’
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