As of: January 26, 2024, 4:59 p.m
By: Nils Hinsberger
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Press
Split
Russia used fake content to stir up sentiment against Ukraine.
Baerbock's Foreign Ministry uncovered the fraud - and found tens of thousands of fake profiles.
Berlin – Disinformation campaigns have become increasingly easier in the age of social media.
Cybercriminals can reach masses of people with less effort than ever before.
A new scandal is now said to have been discovered on the platform X (formerly Twitter), reports
Spiegel
.
It all started with an alleged posting by Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens).
In this she is said to have stated that Germany's support for Ukraine would end in the next three months.
The post was quickly exposed as a fake.
But what is suspicious is the fact that the cybercriminals managed to make an almost exact copy of Baerbock's profile, which some people are said to have fallen for - but how was that possible?
Massive pro-Russian campaign on X – 50,000 fake user accounts
The Foreign Office forensic experts are said to have analyzed multi-billionaire Elon Musk's platform from December 20th to January 20th using special software.
The result of the analysis, which is available to
Spiegel
, shows that more than 50,000 fake user accounts created a mood against Ukraine and the traffic light coalition.
In some cases, more than 200,000 fake short messages were found in one day.
Vladimir Putin seems to want to use Russian disinformation campaigns to exert influence.
© Denis Balibouse/picture alliance/dpa/KEYSTONE POOL REUTERS
The authors' aim is to heat up the mood in the country against the federal government.
Comments like “It’s a shame that the traffic light coalition doesn’t tackle the problems in their own country first” would be used to incite people against their own government – and to destroy willingness to support Ukraine.
That's why the majority of the news deals with aid deliveries to defend against Russia's war, which violates international law.
Russia's cyber criminals imitate German media companies
The Russian online operation is not limited to individuals or fake user accounts.
Even large media companies such as Die
Welt
or the
Süddeutsche Zeitung
were imitated.
Fake link addresses were used to direct people to websites that initially looked as if they were the original.
Here too, false information similar to that in the postings was spread.
If you want to identify the fake news sites, you have to take a closer look at the link.
At the end, where there should actually be a “.de”, the fake pages usually have a different ending added.
Abbreviations such as “.pm” or “.pe” can be found there.
To ensure that the fraud is not noticed, the counterfeiters used a “link shortener” that ensures that the end of the link address on X is not displayed.
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If you get to the site despite all caution, the visitor will be overwhelmed with all sorts of false information.
“Ukraine must choose between talks and surrender,” says one headline of a fake article.
The texts are often poorly written.
In its disinformation campaign, Russia relies more on lots of texts than on good ones.
Is Elon Musk threatened with punishment for false information from Russia?
In order to combat such waves of disinformation, the EU passed a law on digital services.
The so-called “Digital Service Act” is intended to protect consumers online from illegal content.
In December 2023, the EU opened proceedings against Musk's Platform X, which is accused of violating the Digital Service Act.
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) reacted to the disclosure of the Russian campaign, reports
AFP
.
“We know that Putin’s propaganda apparatus has been spreading disinformation for years to undermine trust in our democracy, stoke anger and manipulate public opinion,” Faeser said.
The minister called the “Russian lies” about the war in Ukraine “particularly perfidious”.
With a view to the upcoming elections in Germany, she said: “We will continue to intensify our measures, especially to prevent foreign influence on our elections.” (nhi)