Germany has uncovered a significant pro-Russia disinformation campaign using thousands of fake accounts on X to try to stir anger at Berlin’s support for Ukraine, a media report has said.
The revelations, first reported in Der Spiegel, come amid growing concern about the impact increasingly sophisticated disinformation campaigns could have on elections.
Experts commissioned by the German foreign ministry used specialised software to monitor posts on the online platform X, formerly known as Twitter, between 20 December and 20 January, Der Spiegel wrote.
A common theme was the accusation that Olaf Scholz’s government was neglecting Germans in favour of helping Ukraine in its war against Russia, according to Spiegel, which said it had seen excerpts of the analysis.
The accounts also often linked to fake news stories on websites designed to resemble those of genuine media outlets, Spiegel said, leading analysts to connect it to the Russia-linked “doppelganger” campaign already known to authorities.
Three regional elections are taking place this year in eastern Germany, where the far-right AfD party is riding high in the polls.
The original article contains 287 words, the summary contains 175 words. Saved 39%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Germany has uncovered a significant pro-Russia disinformation campaign using thousands of fake accounts on X to try to stir anger at Berlin’s support for Ukraine, a media report has said.
The revelations, first reported in Der Spiegel, come amid growing concern about the impact increasingly sophisticated disinformation campaigns could have on elections.
Experts commissioned by the German foreign ministry used specialised software to monitor posts on the online platform X, formerly known as Twitter, between 20 December and 20 January, Der Spiegel wrote.
A common theme was the accusation that Olaf Scholz’s government was neglecting Germans in favour of helping Ukraine in its war against Russia, according to Spiegel, which said it had seen excerpts of the analysis.
The accounts also often linked to fake news stories on websites designed to resemble those of genuine media outlets, Spiegel said, leading analysts to connect it to the Russia-linked “doppelganger” campaign already known to authorities.
Three regional elections are taking place this year in eastern Germany, where the far-right AfD party is riding high in the polls.
The original article contains 287 words, the summary contains 175 words. Saved 39%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!