In the run-up to the US presidential election, profiles featuring at least 17 European influencers have been used to spread pro-Trump messages online — one of whom is Dutch.
The problem is, they’re fake.
Amsterdam-based influencer Demi Marić’s photos were used on an X (formerly Twitter) account with the handle @queen0_gabriela.
Her identity was stolen and used to promote Donald Trump’s presidential campaign on an account with around 8,500 followers.
It shared posts such as “Who’s ready to vote for President Donald Trump!!”
“Quite intense to see”
Demi was eventually notified by investigators that her identity was being used.
She found it “quite intense to see”, she tells RTL Nieuws. “It was quite scary to see a profile using my photos in this way”
Fortunately, X acted quickly and removed the profile. Demi believes X and other social media platforms need to do more to combat fake accounts.
This is a major issue as people get their photos stolen and reused online frequently. Demi says she sees fake profiles frequently abusing her photos but is glad it is now getting attention.
Demi’s actual content is much more wholesome.
An old and growing problem
No less than 56 profiles have been identified by CNN and the Centre for Information Resilience as fake accounts praising Trump and posting about divisive topics such as LGBTQ+ rights and COVID-19.
They first appear to be ordinary American women who support the Republican candidate, but in reality, these people don’t exist.
This issue is reminiscent of the 2016 US presidential election when Russian trolls spread disinformation throughout Twitter. As a result, measures were put in place to prevent this from happening again.
However, since Musk’s take-over of the platform, many of these measures have been dismantled, leading to a rise in disinformation.
Are you surprised by the use of fake profiles? Let us know in the comments below! 👇
