Discovery of 'Fake Accounts' on Social Media Supporting Netanyahu

An Israeli research group reported on Monday, February 1, that it has uncovered a network of fake accounts on social media promoting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of next week's elections. Noam Rotem and Yuval Adam, researchers from an institute called 'BigBots Project,' stated in a report that they have identified hundreds of fake accounts on social media that disseminate messages in favor of Netanyahu and the Likud party while attacking his opponents. The general elections in Israel will take place on April 9, and polls indicate that the competition between Netanyahu and his main rival, former Chief of Staff Benny Gantz, will be very close. Netanyahu, who is running for the premiership for the fifth time, faces several corruption charges. The Israeli election campaign has largely focused on personal attacks between the two main candidates. Gantz has concentrated on his rival's moral weaknesses, while Netanyahu is attempting to portray General Gantz as a weak 'leftist.' Netanyahu's Likud party has also tried to suggest that Gantz is mentally unstable. According to researchers from the 'BigBots Project,' it appears that individuals have been hired to open and maintain Twitter accounts. They stated, 'The main theme of the messages published by these accounts is Likud party propaganda and attacks on their opponents, particularly Benny Gantz and all critics of the party.' The researchers say that determining the exact number of these fake accounts is difficult, but so far they have identified 400 fake accounts and several hundred others suspected of being linked to this network. They have not found direct connections between the fake accounts and Netanyahu or the Likud party. However, Yair, Netanyahu's son, who has previously faced issues with his social media activities, has confirmed many of the posts published by these fake accounts. The researchers say it is unclear who is directing this network. The Likud party has denied any connection to this network. On Monday, following the publication of the research results in the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, the 'Blue and White' party led by Gantz tweeted, 'Netanyahu is trying to steal the elections' and called for a police investigation into the financial sources of this network. Gantz also stated at a press conference, 'This is a large network funded by a huge amount of money, and its goal is to steal the elections.' The researchers' investigations show that the content and messages published by this network have reached over 2.5 million Israelis, and since the start of the election campaign, this network has published over 130,000 messages on Twitter. The population of Israel is about 8.7 million. A Twitter spokesperson declined to respond to Reuters' inquiries regarding this matter. The report also mentions that one of the main waves of fake messages from this network occurred right after the announcement by the Attorney General of Israel in February to indict Benjamin Netanyahu on corruption charges. Netanyahu has denied these allegations. Another wave of fake messages from this network on Twitter coincided with the start of the Blue and White party's election campaign led by Gantz. The revelation of the network of fake accounts supporting Benjamin Netanyahu on social media is the latest incident related to technology and media in the tumultuous 2019 elections. Last month, news emerged that Iranian hackers had infiltrated Benny Gantz's personal phone conversations. Although Gantz emphasized that no sensitive information had leaked, Netanyahu used this issue to claim that his rival lacks the capability to lead the country.