Coordinated attack online: Who is trying to "eliminate" Ofer Winter?

A new study by FakeReporter reveals an influence network that, according to the organization, operated over the past week on the X network, with the goal of promoting coordinated messages against Ofer Winter, against the backdrop of his announcement regarding the establishment of a new party. As part of the study, about 90 accounts were identified that published at least 327 tweets against Winter during the period examined.

According to the study, the activity began on August 19, close to the publication of Winter's "Coming Soon" video, in which he announced the date and location where he would announce his new party. One of the first signs of coordinated activity was detected in the responses to a tweet by journalist Amiel Yarhi, who shared a video showing Winter's announcement of his intention to run in the elections. Among the responders, six users were identified for whom, according to the check, this was their first activity on the account.

Subsequently, the activity against Winter expanded significantly. At the peak of the activity, 234 tweets against him were detected in one day. Another figure that stood out in the study is the unusual concentration of publications in time. 175 out of the 327 tweets detected, more than half of all tweets examined, were published within just one hour, the day after Winter's announcement about the establishment of the party.

FakeReporter also points to recurring characteristics in the profiles examined. According to the study, many of the accounts used profile pictures that look as if they were created using artificial intelligence, alongside an extremely low number of tweets and followers. In some cases, almost all the activity recorded on the account since its creation focused on content against Winter.

Content analysis also revealed recurring patterns. Different accounts published identical or very similar wording, while conveying similar messages against Winter. Among other things, claims were circulated that "Winter is dangerous," that he "will go with Avigdor Lieberman and try to topple Bezalel Smotrich," as well as the claim that "Winter's trick will end in a crash." Another message that was circulated claimed that "the Kaplan protest is funding Winter."

Some of the messages, according to the study, integrate with the message line of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who warns against the possibility that a party led by Winter will subtract votes from right-wing parties, and in particular around the possibility of joining Avigdor Lieberman. However, FakeReporter emphasizes that the study does not determine who is behind the network or who ordered its activity.

It also emerges from the check that some of the accounts identified in the current campaign against Winter previously promoted messages supporting Itamar Ben Gvir.

FakeReporter stated that all the accounts identified within the framework of the study will be transferred for reporting to X, for the purpose of examination and removal in accordance with the platform's policy. The organization also calls on the public to report posts and users suspected of non-authentic activity.

"Ahead of the elections, we are identifying an increase in attempts to influence the public discourse on social networks in a manipulative manner using non-authentic accounts, coordinated distribution of messages, and AI tools," the organization stated. FakeReporter added that when dozens of accounts simultaneously distribute an identical message, the public might get the impression that these are different people expressing their opinion independently, even though in practice it might be coordinated activity.

In the organization, they warned that such a phenomenon could affect the public agenda, distort the picture of reality, and disrupt the ability of citizens to form a political position based on reliable information and facts. "This is already a national danger," they stated at FakeReporter.