A brand new report by a French authorities company has accused Azerbaijan of manipulating on-line customers in France’s abroad constituencies and Corsica.
In a brand new report revealed on December 2, France’s technical company chargeable for monitoring international digital interference, VIGINUM, launched findings in regards to the Baku Initiative Group (BIG), a state-sponsored group primarily based in Azerbaijan.
From July 2023 to October 2024, VIGINUM noticed BIG-linked social media accounts disseminating content material “with an editorial line that’s resolutely hostile to France.”
These campaigns exploited occasions such because the riots in New Caledonia in Could, 2024.
On the idea of the information collected on the assorted X accounts concerned, VIGINUM confirmed that these varied makes an attempt used synthetic amplification procedures, the company added.
BIG’s techniques then advanced to advertise the signing of memoranda with French abroad territories’ independence events whereas enhancing ties with pan-African spheres.
VIGINUM stated that this was more than likely in response to X’s suppression of a lot of the group’s relay accounts.
BIG due to this fact sought to benefit from subscriber communities possessed by sure self-proclaimed pan-African influencers to higher promote its actions and try and strengthen, with none actual success, the dissemination of its narratives towards France, learn the report.
Nevertheless, VIGINUM concluded that BIG “was unable to realize the visibility it most likely anticipated among the many individuals dwelling in abroad French constituencies and Corsica.”
The report summarized that, regardless of not reaching its aims, BIG might be thought of “a state propaganda outlet working towards France, whose technique is to instrumentalize public debate in abroad France to serve the aims of Azerbaijan’s international coverage.”
