A bogus fact-checking website has been propagated on social media by hundreds of Indian embassies.
A bogus fact-checking website has been propagated on social media by hundreds of Indian embassies.
A communications firm in Canada developed a website posing as an Indian media outlet and fact-checking site, then used it to promote narratives in support of the Indian government. Articles from the website, created to influence public perception in favour of the Modi government and against its opponents, were repeated on Twitter and Facebook by verified social media accounts from dozens of Indian embassies and consulates.
Press Monitor, a Toronto-based company, built and operated the website India Vs. Disinformation, as well as the site's social media pages. It also established and published India News Network, a pro-government website that acted as the principal content provider for India vs. Disinformation.
Press Monitor, a Toronto-based company, built and operated the website India Vs. Disinformation, as well as the site's social media pages. It also established and published India News Network, a pro-government website that acted as the principal content provider for India vs. Disinformation.
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The company employed India Vs. Disinformation to amplify and collect pro-government content while also releasing "fact checks" on the government's political opponents as well as local and international media outlets for their critical coverage of the current administration. While the marketing firm never tried to hide the fact that it managed the website, its use of fact-checking and disinformation-monitoring rhetorical tropes gives casual readers the impression that it is a reputable news source.
This is the latest in a series of incidents in which public relations and digital communications corporations run online publishing networks that purport to combat disinformation while also aligning with individual politicians or states. The DFRLab has previously covered examples of so-called “disinformation-as-a-service” providers, such as Operation Carthage and Archimedes Group.
In a written response to DFRLab questions, the company confirmed that it had contracts to conduct media monitoring services with the Indian government and some of the country's foreign embassies, but claimed that India Vs. Disinformation was a separate independent initiative unrelated to these contracts. Press Monitor also told the DFRLab that it built the websites in order to garner the favour of the Indian government and receive additional commercial contracts.
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Disinformation vs. India
Press Monitor established India Vs. Disinformation (IVD), a phoney news and fact-checking portal populated with content provided by India News Network, its sibling site (INN). Despite presenting themselves as independent media channels, they were both handled by a public relations firm. IVD bills itself as “an online news service that provides you accurate information about the world's largest democracy,” with the tagline “Truth Matters.” However, the site's About page gives the strong impression that it exists to fight foreign propaganda and unfavourable coverage of India in western news outlets:
