Researchers have uncovered a propaganda network of 67 accounts on Twitter that are coordinating a campaign of posting false, inflammatory content related to the Israel-Hamas war. Via NBC News:
While such information has proliferated on X after Saturday’s attack, the research is believed to be the first concrete evidence that deliberate propaganda to mislead people about the conflict has gone unchecked on the platform. Combined, the accounts’ misleading posts and videos have millions of views.
The accounts — many of which previously focused on more innocuous topics like professional basketball or life in Japan — previously showed no outward association, but suddenly began posting similar content over the weekend as news of the attacks broke, according to Alethea, a company that analyzes social media.
In many cases, the accounts would post the exact same phrases. It’s not clear if the accounts were created for the express purpose of posting the misinformation, or if they were hacked or sold.
Twitter no longer has real verified accounts, so it's easy for anyone to buy a blue check and start churning out lies. As the article states, many of these "sleeper" accounts have ordinary content -- until they activated as disinformation machines.
And as we already know, information that comes from a familar source is seen as more credible.
