Israel's $2 Million Covert Social Media Campaign: Hundreds of Fake Accounts Targeted US Lawmakers During Gaza Conflict

Israel
Israeli government's connection to the influence campaign has been verified by current and former Ministry of Diaspora Affairs members and documents related to the operation.
Israel's covert social media campaign involved hundreds of fake accounts targeting US lawmakers during the conflict with Hamas in Gaza.
Many posts were generated using ChatGPT and three fake English-language news sites were created as part of the operation.
Meta and OpenAI confirmed disruption of some linked social media accounts.
The operation, commissioned by Israel's Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, cost approximately $2 million and primarily targeted Black members of Congress.
Israel's $2 Million Covert Social Media Campaign: Hundreds of Fake Accounts Targeted US Lawmakers During Gaza Conflict

Israel's covert influence campaign targeting U.S. lawmakers during the conflict with Hamas in Gaza involved hundreds of fake social media accounts on platforms such as Facebook and X, according to reports from The New York Times and other sources.

The operation, which began in October 2023 and remains active, was commissioned by Israel's Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and cost approximately $2 million. Many of the posts generated for the campaign were created using ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence chatbot.

The campaign primarily targeted Black members of Congress, including Representative Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA), with content urging them to continue funding Israel's military. Three fake English-language news sites were also created as part of the operation.

The Israeli government's connection to the influence campaign has not been previously reported, but was verified by four current and former members of the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and documents related to the operation. Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, and OpenAI, which makes ChatGPT, also confirmed that they had disrupted some of the social media accounts linked to the campaign.

The covert campaign signals Israel's willingness to go great lengths in swaying American opinion on the war in Gaza. The United States has long been a staunch ally of Israel, with President Biden recently signing a $15 billion military aid package for the country. However, the conflict has been unpopular with many Americans who have called for Biden to withdraw support for Israel in light of mounting civilian deaths in Gaza.

It is important to note that all sources should be approached with skepticism and fact-checking is crucial to ensure accurate reporting. The bias of the sources must also be considered, as some may present a one-sided perspective on the issue.


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Confidence

85%

Doubts
  • It is unclear if all facts presented in the article are accurate and complete.
  • The sources for this report have not been independently verified.

Sources

64%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Israel Secretly Targets U.S. Lawmakers With Influence Campaign on Gaza War

The Name Of The NZ Prefix. I PWA NZI.P.Was Dropped. Sheera Frenkel Wednesday, 05 June 2024 09:04
  • Unique Points
    • Israel's Ministry of Diaspora Affairs ordered and funded a covert influence campaign targeting U.S. lawmakers and the American public with pro-Israel messaging in 2023.
    • ChatGPT was used to generate many of the posts for the campaign.
    • Three fake English-language news sites featuring pro-Israel articles were created as part of the operation.
  • Accuracy
    • The operation, which used hundreds of fake accounts on X, Facebook and Instagram, focused on more than a dozen members of Congress including Representative Hakeem Jeffries and Senator Raphael Warnock.
  • Deception (30%)
    The article by Sheera Frenkel contains selective reporting and emotional manipulation. The author focuses on the fact that Israel targeted Black and Democratic U.S. lawmakers in its influence campaign, implying a racist and partisan motive without providing any evidence for this assertion. Additionally, the author uses emotive language such as 'mounting civilian deaths in Gaza' to elicit an emotional response from readers.
    • But the conflict has been unpopular with many Americans, who have called for Mr. Biden to withdraw support for Israel in the face of mounting civilian deaths in Gaza.
    • The campaign focused on more than a dozen members of Congress, particularly ones who are Black and Democrats, such as Representative Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader from New York, and Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia.
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (0%)
    The article by Sheera Frenkel demonstrates clear political bias against Israel. The author uses language that depicts Israel as engaging in underhanded and deceitful tactics to manipulate U.S. lawmakers through a covert influence campaign on social media platforms X, Facebook, and Instagram. The author also implies that the Israeli government's actions are extreme or unreasonable by stating 'the lengths Israel was willing to go to sway American opinion on the war in Gaza'.
    • Israel organized and paid for an influence campaign last year targeting U.S. lawmakers and the American public with pro-Israel messaging, as it aimed to foster support for its actions in the war with Gaza.
      • The campaign also created three fake English-language news sites featuring pro-Israel articles.
        • The secretive campaign signals the lengths Israel was willing to go to sway American opinion on the war in Gaza.
        • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication

        63%

        The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
        (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

        A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

        Covert Israeli social media campaign reportedly targets US lawmakers

        USA Today Wednesday, 05 June 2024 00:00
        • Unique Points
          • Israeli government financed a social media influence campaign targeting US lawmakers
          • The campaign involved hundreds of fake profiles on Facebook and X, primarily targeting Black members of Congress
          • The effort was commissioned by Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and cost $2 million
        • Accuracy
          No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
        • Deception (30%)
          The article reports on a covert Israeli social media campaign targeting US lawmakers without explicitly stating that the author is reporting on this information firsthand. The New York Times is cited as the source of this information, and while the article does mention that multiple Israeli officials were also quoted, there is no clear indication that the author had any independent knowledge or confirmation of these claims. This lack of transparency regarding the origin of this information could be considered a form of deception by omission. Additionally, some statements in the article are emotionally manipulative and sensationalist in nature, such as 'attacked the U.N.’s Palestinian aid agency' and 'focused on crimes committed by Hamas during the Oct. 7 assault on Israel'. These statements could be perceived as biased and potentially misleading.
          • The content asserted that university campuses had become unsafe for Jewish students,
          • attacked the U.N.’s Palestinian aid agency and focused on crimes committed by Hamas during the Oct. 7 assault on Israel.
        • Fallacies (85%)
          The article reports on a pro-Israeli social media influence campaign targeting Black members of Congress, which was financed by the Israeli government. The article mentions that the content of the campaign asserted that university campuses had become unsafe for Jewish students and attacked the U.N.'s Palestinian aid agency, among other things. This constitutes an appeal to fear and a negative stereotype fallacy towards Jewish students and an ad hominem attack on the U.N.'s aid agency. The article also mentions that some of the content was linked to fictitious news platforms, which is a form of deception through misinformation.
          • university campuses had become unsafe for Jewish students
          • attacked the U.N.’s Palestinian aid agency
        • Bias (0%)
          The article reports on a covert Israeli social media campaign targeting US lawmakers, which was financed by the Israeli government and involved hundreds of fake profiles primarily targeting Black members of Congress. The article also mentions that the content shared by these accounts attacked Palestinian aid agency and focused on crimes committed by Hamas during the October 2021 assault on Israel. This can be considered as an example of monetary bias, as well as a disproportionate number of quotations reflecting a specific position (anti-Palestinian) and use of language that depicts Hamas as extreme or unreasonable.
          • A pro-Israeli social media influence campaign involving hundreds of fake profiles on Facebook and X primarily targeting Black members of Congress was financed by the Israeli government,
            • The content asserted that university campuses had become unsafe for Jewish students, attacked the U.N.’s Palestinian aid agency and focused on crimes committed by Hamas during the Oct. 7 assault on Israel.
            • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
              None Found At Time Of Publication
            • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
              None Found At Time Of Publication

            95%

            The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
            (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

            A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

            Report: Israel targeted U.S. lawmakers through hundreds of fake social media accounts

            USA Today Sudiksha Kochi Wednesday, 05 June 2024 00:00
            • Unique Points
              • Israel targeted U.S. lawmakers through hundreds of fake social media accounts
              • The campaign was commissioned by Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs
              • Many posts were generated by ChatGPT and urged lawmakers to continue funding Israel’s military
              • Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., were among the targeted lawmakers
            • Accuracy
              No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
            • Deception (100%)
              None Found At Time Of Publication
            • Fallacies (75%)
              The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy. The author cites a New York Times report as the main source for information about the campaign without providing additional sources or evidence to corroborate the claims. Additionally, there is a dichotomous depiction in the way Israeli actions are described (e.g., 'targeting U.S. lawmakers and the American public with pro-Israel content') without acknowledging potential counterarguments or nuances.
              • . . . Israel organized a campaign secretly targeting U.S. lawmakers and the American public with pro-Israel content through hundreds of fake social media accounts to build support amid its conflict against Hamas in Gaza, according to a New York Times report.
              • Many of the posts were generated by ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence chatbot, and included content urging lawmakers to continue funding Israel’s military.
              • The New York Times, citing unnamed officials and documents, reported that the campaign . . .
            • Bias (100%)
              None Found At Time Of Publication
            • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
              None Found At Time Of Publication
            • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
              None Found At Time Of Publication