At least 15 accounts posted from India in support of Stevens — Al Jazeera
At least 15 of 28 profiles on X that shared videos supporting the campaign of Congresswoman Haley Stevens in the Democratic Party primary in the US state of Michigan posted from India. This was reported by Al Jazeera.
The anonymous disinformation research group Antibot4Navalny identified at least 28 profiles on X that shared videos in support of Stevens’ campaign. According to the group, the videos collectively received more than 7 million views. Al Jazeera found that at least 15 of these accounts posted from India.
Researchers at the Media Forensic Hub at Clemson University also identified similar tactics used by Indian accounts and pages operating for payment in support of Stevens in her race against Abdul El-Sayed. Stevens ran for the US Senate but lost the primary to El-Sayed on August 4; he became the Democratic Party’s candidate in the midterm elections.
Hidden pages
According to the outlet, Indian political consultants use anonymous social media pages to distribute content that official campaign headquarters do not publish. Such pages can be created from scratch, renamed for the needs of a campaign, or existing profiles can be taken over for use.
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Twenty-two-year-old Indian content creator Rajan Kumar said that in 2022 he created posts and videos for unofficial pages supporting William Ruto’s presidential campaign in Kenya. According to him, he received about $7 a day and on some days had to prepare up to 100 pieces of content. Kumar claims he was tasked with editing opponents’ speeches to alter the meaning of their statements, as well as preparing posts containing false claims.
Circumventing platform rules
Consultants who spoke to the outlet said they use VPNs and change the country of origin of profiles to work with foreign election campaigns. Meta’s rules prohibit the sale, purchase, or exchange of accounts, as well as the use of false or stolen identities. Meta and Google also require political advertisers to verify their identities and disclose information about payment for advertising, although specific rules differ by country.
Consultant Tushar Giri reported negotiations with representatives of a presidential campaign in Suriname that did not result in an agreement. Amogh Dar Sharma, the author of a book about political consulting firms, said that during his research he found Indian consultants working in Australia and Germany. Other consultants also told the outlet that they had worked on campaigns in Nepal and Sri Lanka.
