Part of the disinformation campaign repeats a scheme already employed in the US, last year, when Donald Trump was reelected to the White House
JOSÉ HENRIQUE MARIANTE – At least 100 fake sites and women’s profiles created by artificial intelligence interfere with the election campaign in Germany, according to the country’s press investigations.
Part of the disinformation campaign repeats a scheme already employed in the US last year, when Donald Trump was reelected to the White House.
According to Correctiv, the German Investigative Journalism Agency, the offensive has been Russian origin and has been on the air since the end of 2024. Fantasy stories about immigration, military actions and Green Party members were created by Deepfake and scattered through false vehicles. of news.
Going from sexual allegations to an agreement to receive almost two million Kenyan refugees, usually resulting in support or sympathy to AFD.
The extreme right party, which for the first time presents a candidate for the position of Premier in Germany, is in second place in opinion polls. The elections take place in two weeks on February 23.
Correctiv shows evidence that the action is sponsored by GRU, the Russian Military Intelligence Service, and employs agents and manufactured content producers who sought to interfere with the American campaign in 2024.
Kamala Harris and his colleague on the Democratic plate, Tim Walz, were targets of fake news in September. Months earlier, similar strategy was employed before the start of the Paris Olympic Games.
The sporting event faced banal rumors, such as an uncontrollable wave of dirt and mice, but also false news about the imminence of terrorist attacks that advised against the trip to the French capital.
According to local authorities, the intention was not so much to make people believe in something, but to cause confusion.
In the case of Germany, false news vehicles were only fired from the decision to anticipate the parliamentary election in December, when the Olaf Scholz government coalition Ruiu.
However, there were months earlier, empty or loaded with true, usually conservative websites. False and true profiles then replicated the content created in the form of reports, testimonials and documents.
At the time, the German intelligence service stated that the country would be subject to hybrid attacks from abroad, notably Russia, and that parties, candidates and electoral authorities needed to prepare for the advent of artificial intelligence in the election campaign.
The focus on greens members, such as ministers Robert Haben (Economics) and Annalena Baerbock (Foreign Relations), has a tactical function. In addition to being a frequent object of far -right criticism, increasing the price of energy, restrictive environmental legislation and support for Ukraine, they are part of the party that can compose the new government coalition.
Making them impalateable would be a way to increase the, so far unlikely, to include AFD in a possible cabinet assembly.
With 30% of preferences, CDU should make the largest bench to elect its leader, Friedrich Merz, as Prime Minister. The conservative acronym, however, will have to join another party to reach the majority. Scholz’s SPD and the green are the natural candidates.
Last week, however, in an electoral attitude, Merz tried to pass in Parliament an immigration control law with vows of AFD.
For critics and tens of thousands of people who took the streets to protest, the politician broke Brandmauer, or Firewall, the distance that the German democratic field has maintained from the far right since the end of World War II.
Alice Weidel’s acronym, who has gained planetary audience with Elon Musk, has also been supported by profiles of young women created by artificial intelligence.
The trend was checked by a news check consortium that includes, among other German vehicles, the ARD public broadcaster and Deutsche Welle.
Among the many examples collected by the report on social networks, the common trait are the images of the “influencers”, young, generally with German characteristics and who opine on daily affairs, but also about Firewall, war in Ukraine Eimigration, almost always agreeing with AFD or Weidel positions.
Some profiles identify that content is generated by artificial intelligence, but many ignore the rule, which is mandatory. The “influencers” have life history, place of birth, religion; One says he works as an intern on a right -wing site, which did not comment on the fact.
