Pro-Trump X accounts use stolen photos of European influencers: study

Republican presidential nominee, former US President Donald Trump. (Getty Images/AFP))
Republican presidential nominee, former US President Donald Trump. (Getty Images/AFP))
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Updated 29 August 2024
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Pro-Trump X accounts use stolen photos of European influencers: study

Pro-Trump X accounts use stolen photos of European influencers: study

WASHINGTON: Meet “Eva,” “Sophia,” and “Samantha” — fake accounts which pose as chic American women who support Donald Trump on the platform X, disguising themselves by using stolen photographs of European fashion and beauty influencers, according to a study published Wednesday.
The report by the nonprofit Center for Information Resilience (CIR) comes as researchers express alarm ahead of the US election in November that the site owned by Elon Musk — who has endorsed Trump — is plagued with fake accounts and political disinformation.
CIR said it uncovered 16 accounts that used images of European influencers — without their permission — to pose as young women promoting Trump and encouraging thousands of followers to vote for the Republican nominee.
These accounts, which use stolen images of real people to appear authentic, were among 56 profiles that appear to be part of a coordinated campaign to push pro-Trump content, it added.
“By using images of the influencers, the accounts recognize the value of creating a believable human persona, steering clear of the generic photos and bot-like usernames usually associated with fake accounts,” CIR’s report said.
It was unclear who was behind the digital deception or whether the accounts were pushing pro-Trump content for ideological or monetary gain.
The fake profiles use everyday images from the influencers’ Instagram accounts — including pictures of them at the beach or walking their dog — which are captioned with MAGA-related hashtags or pledges to vote for Trump, CIR said.
MAGA, or Make America Great Again, is a political slogan associated with Trump and his campaign.
Many of the accounts have attempted to spread misinformation about hot-button political subjects such as a recent assassination attempt against Trump, his Democratic rival Kamala Harris’s ethnicity and US military aid to Ukraine, the report said.
Some accounts also promote anti-vaccine and Covid-19 conspiracies, with some posts viewed hundreds of thousands of times.
“They post about divisive issues in US politics in a bid to exploit pre-existing tensions,” the report said.
One of the impersonators is “Luna,” a self-described 32-year-old “MAGA Trump supporter,” who used images of a German fashion influencer named Debbie Nederlof, according to CNN, which jointly conducted the investigation with CIR.
Nederlof, a single mother, voiced anger and frustration over the misuse of her images, saying she had “nothing to do with the United States, with Trump, the political things over there.”
“What the hell do I — from a small place in Germany — care about US politics?” she said.
X did not respond to a request for comment.
Impersonation is a violation of the platform’s rules, and accounts posing as another person, group or organization may be “permanently suspended,” according to X’s website.
Musk appears to exert an outsized influence on US voters through the platform and his own personal account, which is regularly flagged by fact-checkers for spreading political falsehoods to his nearly 196 million followers.
Since Musk’s 2022 acquisition of X, the platform has gutted trust and safety teams and scaled back content moderation efforts once used to tame misinformation, making it what researchers call a haven for disinformation.


French journalist associations call ‘once again’ for unrestricted Gaza access

French journalist associations call ‘once again’ for unrestricted Gaza access
Updated 08 October 2024
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French journalist associations call ‘once again’ for unrestricted Gaza access

French journalist associations call ‘once again’ for unrestricted Gaza access
  • Open letter in French, Hebrew, and Arabic marks latest ignored call for Gaza access

LONDON: Nearly 30 journalist societies, mostly based in France, have renewed their call for unrestricted media access to Gaza while urging Israeli authorities to guarantee the safety of media workers “trapped” in the enclave reporting under “unprecedented circumstances.”

In a column published on Tuesday in Le Monde, the group, including journalist associations from France24, Arte, and Reporters Without Borders, pressed for Israel to allow international media into Gaza.

“Already condemned a year ago, this situation is unprecedented. As in every armed conflict, it is up to newsrooms to weigh up the risks of sending their journalists to war zones, as they do throughout the world,” read the article which was written in French, Hebrew and Arabic.

The group argued that preventing journalists from operating freely has allowed disinformation to spread unchecked, with falsehoods becoming “weapons of war used by all sides.”

Theodora column continued: “The right to inform and be informed is the cornerstone of our democracies. It is a fundamental freedom, enshrined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”

It added: “We therefore call on the Israeli authorities to protect the safety of the journalists currently trying to work in Gaza, and to open this territory to the international press so that it can do its job: Inform without hindrance and bear witness to the progress of this war, one of the most deadly and violent of the early 21st century.”

Despite international pressure, Israel has barred foreign media from entering Gaza, forcing outlets to rely on stained local journalists operating in a war zone.

German media outlets made a similar request to Israel in mid-September, calling the exclusion of international media “unprecedented in recent history.”

The Committee to Protect Journalists has recorded the deaths of at least 128 media workers, almost all Palestinian, since the start of the conflict, marking it as the deadliest war for journalists since records began in 1992.


New body to handle disputes between EU users and Facebook, TikTok, YouTube

New body to handle disputes between EU users and Facebook, TikTok, YouTube
Updated 08 October 2024
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New body to handle disputes between EU users and Facebook, TikTok, YouTube

New body to handle disputes between EU users and Facebook, TikTok, YouTube
  • Until now, individuals and organizations using social media have had limited options to challenge the content decisions of social media companies without going to court

STOCKHOLM: Social media users in the European Union will be able to make complaints against Facebook, ByteDance’s TikTok and Alphabet’s YouTube over content moderation to a new independent body set up in Ireland.
The body, supported by Meta Platforms’ Oversight Board Trust and certified by Ireland’s media regulator, will act as an out-of-court dispute settlement body under the EU Digital Services Act (DSA).
Until now, individuals and organizations using social media have had limited options to challenge the content decisions of social media companies without going to court.
Appeals Center Europe will start before the end of the year. It will initially decide cases relating to Facebook, ByteDance’s TikTok and Alphabet’s YouTube, and will include more social media platforms over time.
“We want users to have the choice to raise a dispute to a body that is independent from governments and companies, and focused on ensuring platforms’ content policies are fairly and impartially applied,” said Thomas Hughes, inaugural CEO of the Appeals Center and a former executive director for freedom of expression rights group Article 19.
With a team of experts, the new body will review each case within 90 days, and decide whether platforms’ decisions are consistent with their content policies, it said in a statement.
“We welcome the certification of new independent bodies by the Irish regulator,” said Thomas Regnier, a spokesman for the European Commission. “We will support the effective and uniform development of this system across the whole EU to give all EU users stronger rights online.”
Dublin-based Appeals Center, which has a one-time grant from the Oversight Board Trust, will be funded through fees charged to social media companies for each case. Users who raise a dispute will pay a nominal fee, which will be refunded if a decision is in their favor.
However, under the rules of DSA, online platforms may refuse to engage with such a dispute settlement body and it won’t have the power to impose a binding settlement on the parties.
The Appeals Center will have a board of seven non-executive directors.


Evacuation packages out of Lebanon advertised on social media

Evacuation packages out of Lebanon advertised on social media
Updated 08 October 2024
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Evacuation packages out of Lebanon advertised on social media

Evacuation packages out of Lebanon advertised on social media
  • Evacuation packages by plane, boat or bus to neighboring countries widely promoted on social media
  • Ranging from $100 to $35,000 per package, inflated service sparks criticism for profiteering from crisis

LONDON: Companies in Lebanon are advertising evacuation packages on social media, offering escape routes to neighboring countries amid growing unrest, Arab News has learned.

Dozens of businesses have taken to platforms like Instagram to promote evacuation services via bus, taxi, boat, and plane.

One such service, Beirut-based Private Routes Flight Dispatchers, offers on-demand charter evacuation flights for up to seven people from Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport.

According to a post on their Instagram page, destinations include Egypt, Bangui M’poko International Airport in the Central African Republic, and Entebbe International Airport in Uganda.

PRFD informed Arab News that charter prices vary depending on the client’s budget and the safety of the chosen route.

For instance, a charter flight to Larnaca, Cyprus costs $25,000, but if visas are not available, flights to Amman or Istanbul rise to $36,000. Flights to Egypt are priced at $31,000.

A PRFD representative explained that, under normal circumstances, they would offer charters to Europe or the Gulf, but due to the high demand for evacuations, they are sticking to shorter routes to accommodate everyone.

PRFD’s website states they provide “urgent flight services,” leveraging 15 years of experience to ensure “smooth, efficient, and timely operations.” Their flight dispatchers use state-of-the-art technology for flight planning, the website noted.

Another travel company, Traveo Agency, which appears to have been launched in early September, offers bus journeys to Amman, Jordan for $100 per ticket, and boat trips to Ayia Napa, Cyprus for $995 per person. A post on their Instagram reads, “Canceled Flight? Travel from Beirut to Ayia Napa by boat,” promising departures within five days.

Arab News reached out to Traveo Agency for further details but received no response at the time of publication.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Traveo (@traveo.agency)

Instagram has been inundated with similar evacuation offers.

Byblos Rent A Boat, a yacht rental service in Beirut, posted a video offering private boat trips to Cyprus. The video, accompanied by a computer-generated voice, claims the journey takes five to six hours with a professional crew ensuring safety. Prices were not disclosed, though users commented that the cost ranged between $2,000 and $2,500, sparking criticism for profiteering during the crisis.

Lebanon has been hit by Israeli airstrikes in recent weeks, pushing the country further into what international observers have called a “systematic socio-economic and humanitarian failure.”

The crisis has deepened the already stark social and economic divide, with wealthier Lebanese able to flee the escalating violence, leaving many behind. This growing wealth gap has sparked public anger, as ordinary citizens face increasingly dire conditions while those with means secure safe passage out of the country.

As the conflict widens, both Lebanese citizens and foreign nationals are scrambling to leave, with governments urging them to get out of the country immediately. With most commercial flights suspended, options for fleeing are limited. While some countries have arranged air evacuations, many are resorting to overcrowded ferries or smaller vessels as bombs continue to strike central Beirut.

Opportunistic business practices during crises, often referred to as “disaster profiteering,” are not new to Lebanon. In past conflicts, businesses have adapted to meet wartime demands, with some smuggling essential goods or profiting from the black market.

Following the collapse of the Lebanese lira in 2019 and the ensuing economic meltdown — exacerbated by corruption, a dysfunctional government, and crumbling institutions — the black market, reportedly controlled by Hezbollah, flourished. This illicit network, which capitalized on Lebanon’s reliance on remittances as a lifeline, has enabled Hezbollah to build a sophisticated financial system, profiting off the country’s widespread suffering.


One Year of War in Gaza: Deadliest conflict for reporters

One Year of War in Gaza: Deadliest conflict for reporters
Updated 07 October 2024
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One Year of War in Gaza: Deadliest conflict for reporters

One Year of War in Gaza: Deadliest conflict for reporters
  • Past year has been the deadliest on record for reporters, watchdog says
  • Journalists globally fear erosion of protections

BEIRUT: Palestinian journalist Islam Al-Zaanoun was so determined to cover the war in Gaza that she went back to work two months after giving birth. But, like all journalists in Gaza, she wasn’t just covering the story — she was living it.
The 34-year-old, who works for Palestine TV, gave birth to a girl in Gaza city a few weeks after the beginning of the Israeli offensive last October.
She had to have a Caesarean section as Israeli airstrikes pounded the strip. Her doctors performed the operation in the dark with only the lights on their cellphones to guide them.
The next day she went home but the day after that she had to flee the fighting, driving further south with her three children. Nine days after giving birth, she was forced to abandon her car and continue on foot.
“I had to walk eight km (five miles) to get to the south with my children,” she said. “There were bodies and corpses everywhere, horrifying sight. I felt my heart was going to stop from the fear.”
Just 60 days later, she got back in front of the camera to report on the war, joining the ranks of Palestinian journalists who have provided the world’s only window on the conflict in the absence of international media, who have not been granted free access by Israeli authorities.
“Correspondents have reporting in their blood, they don’t learn it, so they cannot be far from the coverage too long,” Al-Zaanoun told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
As of Oct. 4, at least 127 journalists and media workers had been killed since the conflict began, according to the US-based Committee to Protect Journalists.
This has made the past year the deadliest period on record for journalists since the press watchdog started keeping records in 1992.
Press freedom advocacy group Reporters Without Borders has recorded more than 130 Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza in the past year, including at least 32 media workers who it says were directly targeted by Israel.
To date, CPJ has determined that at least five journalists were directly targeted by Israeli forces in killings which CPJ classifies as murders.
They include Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah, 37, who was killed by an Israeli tank crew in southern Lebanon last October, a Reuters investigation has found.
CPJ is still researching the details for confirmation in at least 10 other cases that indicate possible targeting.
Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, the Israel Defense Forces’ international spokesman, said at the time of Abdallah’s killing: “We don’t target journalists.” He did not provide further comment.
More than 41,600 people have been killed in Gaza and almost 100,000 have been wounded since Oct. 7, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
Israel launched its offensive after Hamas stormed into southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostage, according to Israeli tallies.

’WHERE IS THE INTERNATIONAL LAW?’
For journalists like Al-Zaanoun, the challenges are not limited to staying safe while reporting. Like the rest of the 2.3 million people in the strip, media workers have been displaced multiple times, gone hungry, lacked water and shelter and mourned dead neighbors and friends.
Food is scarce, diapers are expensive, and medicine is lacking, Al-Zaanoun said. As well as her professional desire to keep reporting, she needs to put food on the table because her husband has not been able to work since the war started.
“If I don’t work, my kids will go hungry,” she said.
Like all Gazans, she fears for her safety and does not dare defy Israeli evacuation orders.
“We had no protection really. Had we decided to stay in the northern areas that would have definitely cost us a very high price and that is what happened to our friends,” she said.
The Israel-Hamas war falls under a complex international system of justice that has emerged since World War Two, much of it aimed at protecting civilians. Even if states say they are acting in self-defense, international rules regarding armed conflict apply to all participants in a war.
Article 79 of the Geneva Conventions treats journalists working in conflict settings as protected civilians if they don’t engage in the fighting.
In March, senior leaders at multiple global media outlets signed a letter urging Israeli authorities to protect journalists in Gaza, saying reporters have been working in unprecedented conditions and faced “grave personal risk.”
What CPJ has called “the most dangerous” war for journalists has reverberated across the world, striking fear into reporters who are concerned about the setting of deadly precedents.
Abdalle Ahmed Mumin, a veteran freelance reporter and the secretary general of the Somali Journalists Syndicate, said he had experienced violence before but was shocked by what was happening in Gaza.
“I have been targeted personally myself. I have been detained, I have been unjustly kidnapped several times,” he said in an interview with the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
“I know all these things, but I haven’t witnessed the kind of brutality that the journalists in Gaza have been going through.”
Since 1992, 18 of Mumin’s friends and colleagues have been killed in Somalia, where first warlords and later Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabab militants have caused years of conflict.
“I’m scared of being a journalist … because of the failure of the international protection mechanisms, the failure of the international community,” he said. “Where is the international law? Where is the international humanitarian law?“


Israeli strike kills teen Palestinian journalist as Gaza marks Oct. 7 anniversary

Israeli strike kills teen Palestinian journalist as Gaza marks Oct. 7 anniversary
Updated 07 October 2024
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Israeli strike kills teen Palestinian journalist as Gaza marks Oct. 7 anniversary

Israeli strike kills teen Palestinian journalist as Gaza marks Oct. 7 anniversary
  • Hassan Hamad was killed in a strike in his home at the Jabalia refugee camp in North Gaza
  • His colleagues reported that he had received multiple threats from Israeli officers, warning him to stop filming the attacks

LONDON: Palestinian journalist Hassan Hamad, 19, was killed in his home at the Jabalia refugee camp in North Gaza during an Israeli airstrike on Sunday, according to local media reports.

Hamad was caught in the heavy bombardment as Israeli forces continued strikes on Jabalia and other areas including Rafah and Al-Zawaida.

On Monday, Gaza marked the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack that has since plunged the Strip, Lebanon, and other regional players into a widening conflict, escalating tensions across the region.

“With great sadness and pain, I mourn the journalist Hassan Hammad … the journalist who was not yet 20 years old, resisted for a whole year in his own special way, and stayed on his own, away from family so they would not be targeted,” a friend posted on his X account, confirming the young man’s death.

“He resisted while trying to find internet signal and would sit for hours on the roof of his home to publish videos. Yesterday, from 10pm, he was travelling between bombed areas and returning home to get internet signal then going back to cover what had remained from the bombing,” the post continued.

Hamad was reportedly injured in the leg but continued documenting the assaults, sending his final video at 6 a.m. on Sunday before being killed. His body was later found in pieces, gathered in a box by those on the scene.

Hamad became well-known for documenting Israeli strikes and their impact on Gaza’s residents, including the devastation caused by bombings, siege conditions, and resource shortages.

According to reports, he had received multiple threats from Israeli officers instructing him to stop filming the attacks.

“Listen, if you continue spreading lies about Israel, we’ll come for you next and turn your family into (...) This is your last warning,” read a message allegedly sent to Hamad via WhatsApp from an Israeli officer, a warning that was shared on social media.

In one of his last posts, Hamad reported on Israeli airstrikes in Beit Lahia and the bombardment of Jabalia. Just days earlier, he and fellow journalist Moamen Abu Awda survived a drone attack in the Jabalia camp.

Since the conflict began on Oct. 7, 2023, at least 128 journalists and media workers have been killed, all but five of them Palestinian. The true death toll is feared to be much higher.

The ongoing conflict has pushed Gaza into a deep humanitarian crisis. Local authorities report that more than a third of the Strip’s buildings have been destroyed, with the death toll nearing 42,000 and over 91,000 injured.