They are making money with fake footage of the Israel-Hamas war

According to a report by Grigor Atanesian from the BBC's Global Disinformation Team, these users accounted for the most-watched English-language content on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, in October.

Some of these influencers, who have millions of followers despite having no expertise in the region, deny the attack carried out by Hamas and create the impression that events that did not happen are taking place by using archival footage, manipulated images, and AI-generated content.

According to experts, accounts that share this false and provocative information are earning money through X's revenue system.

HIS ACCOUNT GREW FOURFOLD

One of these influencers is 24-year-old American Jackson Hinkle. Hinkle calls himself a "communist who supports the Make America Great Again movement"—a movement identified with former US President Donald Trump—and is an influencer who supports Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Following Israel's launch of operations in Gaza, the number of followers on Hinkle's account quadrupled to two million, and he received a large number of shares.

Disturbing footage of injured children and destroyed homes, or the false claims he puts forward, lead to the growth of his account.

Even if they are disturbing or distressing, this footage causes a large number of people to watch and share it.

Logically, a technology company that uses artificial intelligence to track disinformation, shows that Hinkle's posts have been shared more than 20 million times since October 7.

According to the BBC Turkish report, 75 percent of his most-shared posts are related to the Israel-Gaza war.

Despite being so influential, Hinkle had very few posts about the Israel-Palestine conflict before the war.

He mostly has posts about the environment and pro-Russian content.

Formerly known as an ecology activist, Hinkle was on the list of "young environmentalists trying to save the world" in Vogue's youth magazine.

Among the lies or false statements Hinkle has previously expressed are that Ukraine is ruled by Nazis, that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is a drug addict, and that genetics is not a science.

Following the attack carried out by Hamas on October 7, he began making some posts that were examined by the BBC and determined to be false.

One video that the BBC determined to be false involves him using old Israeli airstrikes on Gaza to describe the current situation in Syria.

In another post, he shared a fake news story that he claimed was from the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, but which did not appear in the newspaper.

According to this, he shared the false statement that 900 people lost their lives in the Hamas attack, contrary to Israel's claim of 1,400, and that half of these people were Israeli soldiers.

Haaretz published a statement saying that there was no such news.

However, this post remains on Hinkle's account and has five million views.

Hinkle claimed that Hamas did not carry out the October 7 attack or that those who lost their lives at the Supernova Festival were not killed by Hamas, but died after being caught in the crossfire of Israeli soldiers blocking the roads.

However, the BBC's verification service had previously revealed that Hamas killed those attending the festival.

Speaking to the BBC, Hinkle claimed that he was telling the truth, stated that he had no intention of making a profit, and noted that he "prefers to defend the truth rather than lie about such critical issues."

He responded to the finding that he had no expertise by claiming that "experts and the mainstream media also have no expertise."

HIGHLY FOLLOWED WITH 'BREAKING NEWS' POSTS

Mario Nawfal, a cryptocurrency entrepreneur living in Dubai, is also a name who uses similar tactics.

Mario Nawfal, who previously wrote about wellness and kitchen appliances, had also been praised by Elon Musk for his assessments regarding Russia.

However, Mario Nawfal also has no expertise in Russia or the Middle East.

Nawfal, who has 1.1 million followers, does not seem to take a side in the conflicts, but he constantly spreads false information by using exclamatory expressions such as "breaking news" and "new information."

Although his video showing bombing footage in Syria as if it were happening in Gaza was deleted, his post claiming that Hamas had kidnapped an Israeli soldier was viewed more than 18 million times.

Nawfal did not respond to the BBC's request for comment.

UNVERIFIED POSTS

US far-right influencers Collin Rugg and Dom Lucre, whose real name is Dominick McGee, are also users who increased their follower counts after the Gaza attacks.

Rugg shared the lie that Hezbollah members entered Israel with paragliders, while Dom Lucre shared a Catholic gathering in Poland as a pro-Israel demonstration.

McGee, who uses the Dom Lucre account, said he stopped sharing information about the war and stated that he does not make money "from suffering."

Rugg did not respond to questions.

Accounts such as 'OSINTdefender' and 'WarMonitor' are also known for making fast, unverified, and emotional posts, even if they are recommended by Elon Musk to be followed.

Manipulated information that is not true is encountered in their posts.

It was seen that one of these accounts had made anti-Semitic comments in the past. Musk deleted his tweet recommending these accounts.

The University of Washington revealed that influencers and anonymous accounts are the most followed English-language accounts on X.

Shayan Sardarizadeh, from the BBC's verification team, who has been tracking viral and false posts since the beginning of the Israel-Gaza conflict, observes that social media algorithms highlight shocking and disturbing footage.

He states that on the X platform, verified accounts that can earn money are highlighted more.

Elon Musk had advertised that posts would be highlighted more when introducing X membership.

Kyle Walter, head of the company Logically, states that the fee promised to members as they grow their accounts paves the way for these posts.

News Source: 12punto