The following is a "case study," presented by Israeli influence firm Percepto International to its prospective clients – in reality undercover journalists for #StoryKillers ⤵️
It explains in detail how to "limit prominent NGO intervention" in order to satisfy a client, which they call "gov.”
Despite the blurred content, we were able to trace this campaign back to the source. The victim is none other than the International Committee of the Red Cross in Burkina Faso in August 2020.
“Our client had a real problem with a specific NGO that really was not objective…the question is, how do you take this NGO out of the negative ball game and put them on the sideline?” Royi Burstien, CEO of Percepto International, told his fake customers.
So, according to Burstien, what can be done to help this undefined "gov" to "put this organization on the sideline"?
The answer can be found in an article entitled "The International Committee of the Red Cross, unwitting sponsor of terrorism in Burkina Faso", published by Valeurs Actuelles, which was soon picked up by the Burkinabe press. As Royi Burstien boasts.
Several sources have informed Forbidden Stories that the information published in the op-ed came from wiretaps of ICRC employees in Burkina Faso. Percepto International denied this.
In the meantime, the wide propagation of the article provoked “violent comments online and [caused] fears for the safety of our teams in Burkina Faso," according to its Africa director.
Chorev, co-founder of Percepto denies any intervention. As for the case study, stamped with its logo, he said it “can be a case study that is not related directly to Percepto, but just a general case study.”
This campaign is just one example of the tools the company boasts, including a fake news agency, online avatars or even fake NGO. Read more here:
Ceci est une « étude de cas », présentée par la société d’influence israélienne Percepto International à ses clients, en fait des journalistes sous couverture du consortium @FbdnStories ⤵️
Elle raconte, dans le détail, comment « limiter l’intervention d’une éminente ONG », pour satisfaire un client, nommé « gov. » comme gouvernement, en anglais.
Malgré les floutages, nous sommes parvenus à remonter le fil de cette campagne. La victime n’est autre que le Comité International de la Croix Rouge au Burkina Faso, en août 2020.
Videos #StoryKillers: Today @FbdnStories & 30 media partners reveal “Jorge’s” secretive disinformation business. Discover how he offered to manipulate elections and influence opinions to undercover journalists of the project, from @haaretzcom@InvestigationRF@TheMarker. #Thread
Before journalists who posed as clients, “Jorge” showed how his tool “AIMS” can create avatars for influence campaigns. Meet Sophie Wilde ⤵️
The AIMS tool doesn’t just offer avatar creation. The latest version can also create and disseminate automated content in any language, either with a “positive,” “negative” or “neutral” tone.
Twisted information, an army of avatars, hacking of high-ranking officials: the second part of #StoryKillers pulls back the curtain on "Team Jorge", a shadowy ”black ops” entity that worked with Cambridge Analytica.
Au départ de l’enquête : 3 journalistes du consortium se faisant passer pour des clients et 6h de discussions enregistrées entre eux et la cellule d’un mystérieux « Jorge ». @TheMarker, @InvestigationRF, @haaretzcom.
Dans ces vidéos, « Jorge » propose des services allant de la création automatique de bots au piratage d’emails en passant par la manipulation d’élections.
L’enquête a permis d’identifier des dizaines de clients dans le monde, sur quasiment tous les continents.
Dans son dernier éditorial, Gauri Lankesh dénonce celles et ceux qui se servent des « fake news » comme d’une arme.
Elle identifie l’origine d’une rumeur virale : Postcard News, un site local connu pour attaquer les journalistes et propager de fausses informations. (3/10)
Lankesh's final editorial was the start of the #StoryKillers project.
A global investigation into disinformation mercenaries that brought together more than 100 journalists from 30 media outlets in more than 20 countries. (2/10)