Citizen Lab and collaborators detailed the PRISONBREAK campaign, consisting of around 50 X accounts created in 2023 and largely dormant until 2024. These accounts routinely used AI-generated content, including manipulated videos, to depict Iran as chaotic and instigate dissent. The timing of posts around real military actions, specifically an Israeli airstrike on Evin Prison known for detaining political prisoners, suggests close coordination with Israeli military operations.
The campaign shared fabricated footage claiming to show riots and instability, misleading news outlets and urging Iranians to take direct action, such as storming Evin Prison. One AI-edited video gained significant engagement with tens of thousands of views and thousands of likes, showing professional editing and coinciding with ongoing bombings. Researchers assert the campaign was likely conducted by Israeli government agencies or contractors tied to Israeli intelligence.
This case exemplifies broader trends where democratic states and private firms engage in covert information warfare, complicating narratives that disinformation is only a tool of authoritarian regimes. Israeli firms like STOIC, Team Jorge, and Archimedes Group have been linked to such disinformation-for-hire services globally. The use of outsourced marketing firms enhances deniability and obfuscation in digital influence operations, potentially escalating the risk of misinformation impacting geopolitical stability.
👉 Pročitaj original: CyberScoop
