Hoaxlines found accounts that had pushed false claims about the 2009 Swine Flu and the vaccine against it had also promoted Russian state media and pro-Kremlin narratives and disinformation years later.
Although these accounts’ behavior and traits suggested inauthenticity and some exclusively spread false information, some remain active on the platform today. Some users fell dormant, active only between 2009 and 2010, but others, like the example in this report, spread content and claims likely intended to influence real users.
Had the account been removed in 2010 when it promoted conspiracy theories about the Swine flu and the vaccine to prevent it, it would not be on the platform to help the Kremlin sow confusion and avoid accountability for war crimes.
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Examples of content
Here are examples of content from the case study subject that made it identifiable as an inauthentic account over a decade ago:
- Swine flu (H1N1) and the vaccine
- Bill Gates conspiracy theories
- Dengue fever
- Julian Assange
- Syria and chemical weapons use
- Monsanto conspiracies
- GMOs
- Ebola virus
- The downing of MH17
- Invasion of Crimea
- John McCain and ISIS
- Everything is George Soros’ fault
- Hilary Clinton’s emails
- Zika virus and the vaccine
- COVID origin
- Sputnik V (Russian COVID vaccine) is the best
- NATO is out to get Russia
- Bioweapons in Ukraine (2022)
- Anti-semitism and Azov
- Bucha Massacre denial
