US officials and several allies cracked down on supposed state-sponsored "bot farms," which cover thousands of fake accounts, spreading disinformation on X (formerly Twitter).
In a joint cybersecurity advisory, government agencies from the US, the Netherlands, and Canada announced that they took down several state-sponsored "bot farms" to disseminate disinformation.
(Photo : Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
The report accused the Russian government of masterminding most of the "foreign malign influence activities" on the platform since 2022.
Also Read: Elon Musk's X is Filled with Bot Accounts and There's Not Much We Can Do
New Disinformation 'Bot Farms' Becoming More Realistic
Unlike the bot accounts from 2016, the new "bot farms" feature more realistic accounts with detailed biographies and post original content to appear more legitimate and organic.
The fake accounts were only spotted after law enforcement spotted patterns with the "fictitious online personas" repeating "pre-existing false narratives" from bots the agencies have taken down previously.
US officials did not disclose how many organic accounts have been exposed to these disinformation machines but noted that the operation had targeted users from the US, the Netherlands, Poland, Germany, Spain, Ukraine, and Israel.
Related Article: X Preps Users for Another Round of Bots, Spammers Deletion
State-Sponsored 'Bot Farms' Likely Invaded Other Social Platforms, Officials Claim
While most of the disinformation campaigns were found on X, officials believe similar state-sponsored operations are likely happening on other social platforms "to alter public opinion."
According to cybersecurity experts, the technology used on X hint plans that it "would likely be expanded to other social media networks" to command fake accounts en masse effectively.
Similar situations have earlier been reported on Facebook and Instagram as their parent company Meta removes waves of AI-generated disinformation campaigns from China and Israel on its platforms.
With the 2024 US Presidential Elections just around the corner, experts warn that online disinformation will only surge as "propaganda, falsehoods, and conspiracy theories" more apparent in political discussions.
