Myth Detector, an online fact-checking platform run by local watchdog Media Development Foundation (MDF), has uncovered an anti-EU sponsored Facebook network. According to the MDF’s report of October 18, these Facebook pages have been sponsoring and spreading anti-Western and anti-EU messages since the beginning of 2023.
Who Are They?
“Through the use of memes, these Facebook pages aim to reinforce disinformation and stereotypes in the Georgian society, trying to convince them that, for example, joining the European Union is tantamount to rejecting traditional values and empowering LGBTQ+ community,” – reads the report of the findings. The statement also notes that categories of the pages vary and may include information technology, marketing, music, business, etc.
Is it Clear Who’s Behind Them?
Only authorized users are allowed to post election and political ads, according to Facebook’s Political Advertising Rules, which means that the political ads should be posted in a way that identifies who is responsible for each sponsored ad (Paid for by). In addition, a political advertiser must be authorized in the country where the ad’s target audience resides.
Despite these rules, the exposed Facebook pages identified as advertising to Georgian audiences are listed a different country, and in some cases no country at all. In addition, the ad library on these pages does not mention who paid for the ad and who is responsible for it. In some cases, the mentioned Facebook pages publish posts containing false information.
What Do They Have In Common?
Myth Detector uncovered seven Facebook pages, which share the following traits:
- All the Ad libraries of all these pages contain the sponsored memes (combination of image and texts), referring to the “false promise” of Georgia’s integration in the European Union, the long list of requirements, and disruption of national and traditional values in case of joining the EU;
- The specified Facebook page category does not match the content of the posts in the ad library;
- Posts on the Timelines of the anonymous pages usually do not match with the posts in their ad libraries;
- 3 out of 7 pages have Ukraine as home country with indicated Ukrainian number;
- In several cases, the Facebook pages publish / sponsor the posts and memes with identical content and visuals;
- The domain @kuromail.cc, ending part of the mails of the two pages, may be connected to the “Farm of Social Network Accounts” that are used for various purposes, including social media management or fraud.
Do They Still Work?
As of October 18, 3 out of 7 pages were deactivated, however 4 of them are still available. The following are deactivated: Programming Natural; Marketing Funny and Cool Move (which can not be searched anymore); the following ones are still available: Crazy World; Marketing Sanctuary; Bautista and Coco Kaewchay.
A Few Examples
Overall, the propagandist messages contain the anti-Western, and specifically, anti-EU sentiments. They are often saturated with homophobic messages, spreading fears about LGBTQ+ community.
For example. pictures show the church in front of which the fire is burning, with dozens of people nearby holding colorful flags. Another picture shows the EU flag in the ruins of houses.
Source: mythdetector.ge
The similar descriptions of these posts on two pages claim that the photos were generated by the AI platform Midjourney, which was asked to show what life would be like in Georgia in 2050 if it were to join the EU. Interestingly, in April 2023, the Facebook page ‘Orthodox Page’ presented the posts shared by these pages as a real story, claiming that the church in the photo was a real Orthodox temple abroad.
Other posts also contain homophobic messages. In another post, a similar description says that the AI platform Cool move was asked to show the kind of media news that will be published by 2050 if Georgia becomes a member of the European Union. The LGBT theme is also present here. In the sponsored posts on the same Facebook page, we see memes highlighting how Georgia is desperately waiting for EU membership and only gets a lot of empty promises from the West.
Source: mythdetector.ge
The disinformation spread by these sites includes the false narrative about EU membership. They claim that the requirements for Georgia to join the EU far outweigh the benefits it will gain from membership.
Source: mythdetector.ge
Calling on the people on the ground to defend the independence of their homeland, some of the posts are even collecting votes for a petition that aims to remove the article on Euro-Atlantic integration from the Georgian constitution.
Source: mythdetector.ge
Other posts also focus on the topics of EU’s 12 recommendations, false accusations of Western-sponsored revolutions, and Mikheil Saakashvili, the ex-president of Georgia.
Some of the ads published by Programming Natural and Marketing Funny are visually and content-wise indistinguishable from each other, while Also, the memes sponsored by Crazy World and Marketing Sanctuary saying that European countries do not consider Georgia worthy of membership in the European Union and that the LGBTQI community is waiting to hold a parade in Tbilisi after Georgia’s accession into the European Union, are identical.
The report notes that “the use of memes in the production of influence campaigns is one of the methods used by malicious actors in other countries. For example, the use of meme techniques by the Russian ‘troll factory’ in the 2016 US Presidential election is discussed in a report commissioned by the US Senate Intelligence Committee.
According to the Myth Detector “due to the limited information published by the Facebook pages in the “About” section and the anonymity of the advertiser, it is impossible to determine whether this network is run by the same group,” However, “the identical techniques and tactics used by these pages to influence public opinion, the same posts and, in two cases, the presence of similar e-mails raise suspicions of their connection,”- concludes the report.
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