ISFED Reports Fake and Suspicious Profiles on CEC's Facebook Page
By Liza Mchedlidze
Monday, November 11, 2024
The International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) has reported 7 fake and 15 suspicious profiles involved in a support campaign on the Facebook page of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Georgia.
ISFED reports that these inauthentic accounts, some of which appear to steal identities, are coordinated and have repeatedly commented on posts by the CEC. The comments are often identical or very similar across different accounts.
According to ISFED, these fake profiles praise the electronic technologies used in the 2024 parliamentary elections and the voting process while downplaying the significance of observed violations, presenting them as disinformation. In addition to defending the CEC and its chairman, Giorgi Kalandarishvili, the profiles attack opposition parties, civil society organizations, and promote anti-Western views. They also interact with accounts critical of the CEC, often responding with offensive content.
ISFED notes that the use of fake profiles in the CEC support campaign was also evident during the 2018 presidential elections, with links to the Russian-run agency Newsfront. Inauthentic accounts were used to promote a positive narrative about the administration, though their activity was less intense on election days. These accounts became more active in late October, following the growing discussion of election violations.
ISFED also points out that while they cannot verify the photos posted on suspicious accounts, there are clear indicators of inauthenticity. Many of these profiles share identical posting times, contain only 2-3 photos published on the same day, and have minimal interactions. Some of the profiles are newly created, which suggests they were designed specifically for the campaign.
ISFED continues to raise concerns over the impact of such inauthentic activity on the electoral process and urges further scrutiny of social media interactions during the election period.
