Dutch intelligence services AIVD and MIVD and police have helped take down hundreds of fake social media accounts set up by Russia to spread disinformation.

The US Justice Department revealed on Tuesday that the Netherlands was involved in an operation in which two domain names were seized and almost 1000 media accounts generated by AI were investigated.

The Dutch intelligence services said that it is “very likely” that the Russian government is involved developing software to create bogus social media profiles aimed at spreading fake news and influencing American public debate.

Most of the accounts were set up to look as if they belonged to people in the United States, with credible names, locations and profile pictures.

“Our excellent digital infrastructure is continually being used to mount cyber attacks from this country. (..) This was a good example of a joint action and we are proud to have been a part of it,” defense minister Ruben Brekelmans said.

Social media platform X, better known by its former name Twitter, also supported the operation by taking down an unknown number of fake accounts.

Link to RT

According to the American secret services, the campaign dates to 2022 when an unidentified editor of the Russian state broadcaster RT instigated the development of software using AI capable of creating any number of convincing profiles in a very short period.

“We decided to make this public so we can reveal what the Russians are doing and, at the same time, show that we are capable of dismantling [the troll farms],” Brekelmans told Trouw.

Brekelmans, currently at the NATO summit in Washington, said he had seen the fake accounts himself. “They are questioning things, for example the attack on the children’s hospital in Kyiv this week. They are spreading a narrative, supporting Putin’s comments. (..)

“We have now dismantled the software and the tools that are making this possible,” he told the paper.

The American Justice department provided technical information to social media platforms aimed at recognising disinformation campaigns as part of the operation.