(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .
Suspicious Accounts Spread Pro-UAE Propaganda Across X/Twitter And Reddit [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2023-12-14
Even after seemingly getting caught conducting a covert social media influence operation earlier this year, the UAE appears to be continuing to use coordinated inauthentic activity to bolster its reputation as the host of the COP28 climate conference.
During COP28, suspicious accounts pushed pro-UAE content on both X/Twitter and Reddit.
According to the Climate Action Against Disinformation (CAAD) coalition’s latest bulletin , a new potential bot network, ostensibly different from the other groups of bots identified back in June and earlier this month , is praising the UAE on X/Twitter. CAAD explains, “ Many of the accounts claim to be Uganda-based environmental activists. They are repeatedly posting or retweeting videos of Sultan Al Jaber, using the same talking points [and promotional hashtags] as the official COP28 UAE account .”
The Capitol Institute appears to be the only organization tweeting these suspicious clips . Although there is no proof that the Institute is directly involved in any unscrupulous activity, its content is very much on - message with the pro-UAE campaign. The organization also published an article promoting the UAE’s COP leadership by someone called Tumwesigye Anslem , whose Twitter account has posted and retweeted the same videos promoted by the network 16 times.
This suspicious activity is unfortunately not confined to X/Twitter, as Reddit is also awash with seemingly inauthentic pro-UAE content.
According to CAAD, “another pro-UAE influence campaign appears to operate in plain sight on Reddit , where accounts promote the country’s public image and share greenwashing posts on the UAE and COP28 .” “This activity, first identified in September [by the Climate Denier Roundup], appears to be ongoing.”
In addition to this suspicious social media activity, UAE-based media outlets have pushed out a range of pro-UAE propaganda related to COP28. The petrostate has also tried to protect its public image by hiring multiple public relations agencies .
So if you've ever wondered what a live propaganda campaign looks like, this could be your chance to see one for yourself!
[END]
---
[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/12/14/2211676/-Suspicious-Accounts-Spread-Pro-UAE-Propaganda-Across-X-Twitter-And-Reddit?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web
Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.
via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/
