Researchers call them the "American blondes" -– bright-eyed environmentalists tweeting passionately in support of the UAE and its handling of the forthcoming COP28 climate summit. The only problem? They are not real.
Analysts consulted by AFP identified these and dozens of other Twitter accounts as being involved in coordinated activity, labelling the tactic as a form of "astroturfing" -- a false grassroots campaign to influence public opinion.
The "blonde" accounts, for example, were created within hours of each other in August 2022, according to a digital analysis by Climate Action Against Disinformation (CAAD), a coalition of non-government groups.
Note the creation date of the accounts: 2022.
Many of the accounts appeared to have been suspended on Twitter after being flagged by researchers.
This is not a solution. You cannot let these accounts damage the truth for a year long and then remove them on-demand. This is why in my opinion a system based on a whitelist would be preferable when it comes to news and comments, rather than accepting everyone and removing this and that account. Because you will lose the race, the damage will be done.
What we've learned is how they see us. We will fall for pretty blondes with an academic background.
Now the problem lies in democracy: even if we see it, we cannot force the millions of twitter users to not see it. And they vote.
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