Russia and China are âmanipulatingâ public opinion in Britain by promoting pro-Palestinian influencers online in an effort to stoke division, Whitehall sources have told The Telegraph.
Senior Government figures fear rogue states are promoting polarising online narratives about the
Israel-Hamas conflict using an army of fake social media accounts.
Analysis of some of the leading pro-Palestinian social media influencers in the UK, who have ballooned in popularity in the wake of the
Oct 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, has revealed that many of their followers are fake.
Experts said such a boost from fake profiles would disproportionately amplify
pro-Palestinian voices â the more bots that engage with them and promote them, the more platform algorithms are likely to ensure that other social media users see them.
Security services are also understood to be concerned about the threat of
disinformation about the war in Gaza circulating online, as well as the possibility of hostile state involvement.
A Government source said: âItâs clear that foreign states are engaged in trying to manipulate public opinion by skewing the way we interact online. They hope to destabilise and undermine our institutions.
www.thebureau.news
