Safety researchers have noticed a brand new DoppelGänger marketing campaign dubbed Operation Matriochka geared toward difficult the credibility of journalists and fact-checkers since Might 2022.
By leveraging X (previously Twitter), the operation not solely disseminated disinformation articles but in addition engaged in commenting and sharing to immediate additional investigation.
In keeping with a technical write-up printed by the Sekoia group at present, Fb served as one other vital platform for DoppelGänger. Initially, it relied on the pages of Russian officers to share disinformation articles.
Nevertheless, a shift occurred in August 2022, with the marketing campaign using inauthentic accounts for a extra industrial-scale dissemination technique often known as “burner accounts.” Regardless of efforts to flag the marketing campaign, DoppelGänger continued its exercise, significantly via political adverts, reportedly exploiting Fb’s lax moderation insurance policies.
DoppelGänger additionally prolonged its attain past Fb to platforms like TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Cameo. It employed numerous codecs, together with deep fakes and roundtable conferences, to propagate disinformation narratives successfully. An instance is a YouTube video titled “INTEL Roundtable w/ Johnson & McGovern,” which introduced a biased evaluation geared toward undermining Ukraine.
The marketing campaign’s infrastructure operates via a number of layers, using social botnets and URL redirection to obscure the dissemination of disinformation. Regardless of efforts to dismantle it, the infrastructure stays resilient, adapting to keep away from takedowns.
A parallel infrastructure supporting Russian-language propaganda missions was additionally uncovered, indicating DoppelGänger’s broader aims. These web sites, operating beneath Cloudflare CDN, exhibit constant updates, suggesting ongoing exercise geared toward influencing Russian-speaking audiences.
Learn extra on DoppelGänger campaigns: Russian-Aligned Community Doppelgänger Targets German Elections
Whereas similarities exist with different affect campaigns like Portal Kombat, technical investigations haven’t linked them conclusively. This means that DoppelGänger operates independently, focusing on completely different audiences concurrently.
Regardless of growing scrutiny, DoppelGänger persists, exploiting weaknesses in platform laws and sluggish institutional responses. Its sophistication continues to evolve, elevating considerations about its impression on public opinion and democratic processes.
Efforts just like the European Digital Service Act purpose to curb such affect campaigns, emphasizing the necessity for collaborative motion between platforms, civil society and authorities businesses to safeguard democratic processes towards disinformation threats.
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