🇵🇰-Land Indian Troll Farms : A Booming Disinformation Business (2 Viewers)

[Old School]

For the uninitiated, a troll farm is a group of internet trolls that are either paid by certain groups or formed on their own accord to interfere with political opinions and decision-making. Several European parliament members, IT experts, and officials have flagged India's troll farm race on social media. They have cautioned that social media users in India are unguarded against manipulating digital information by troll armies, creating political and ideological propaganda.
Besides India, the governments of several countries, including China, Brazil, Russia, and the USA, have been accused of building troll farms. Most of these bots operate on meta platforms Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, using barrages of hashtags and propaganda.
In line with the agenda, the European Union (EU) held a session titled 'Taking Stock of India's Information Manipulation Ecosystem'. Think-tank Stichting The London Story hosted the session, and several members of the European Parliament, the European Commission, and experts at the UK's Home Office attended the event.
European Parliament Member Markéta Gregorová moderated the session, which was streamed online. The EU is seeking to build closer collaborations with India.
One of the panelists, Saikat Chatterjee, the chief data analyst of the London Story, stated that experts are investigating the capacity of India's information manipulation ecosystem (that spreads disinformation and hate speech) and its potential impact on democracies around the world.
The session also pointed out that digitization in India comes at the cost of information manipulation for first-time internet users, who are more prone to falling prey to scams and lies.
"We must consider the implications this has and how the largest democracy in the world should navigate digitalization," Gregorová said.
Other panelists included Meta whistleblower Sophie Zhang, Archis Chowdhury (a senior correspondent at BOOM) and doctoral researcher (at King's College London) Vignesh Karthik, and public policy expert Vihang Jumle.
"India is undergoing a troll farm arms race," Zhang warned, stating that neither the government nor the social media platforms, including former employer Meta and Elon Musk's Twitter, are taking the right steps to address the issue. The comment comes at a time when the Indian government is looking to update the IT Rules to curb misinformation. The move entails that the government would regulate social media platforms, who in turn will have to curb the spread of misinformation. However, with several allegations that the government has a troll army (dubbed IT cells), it becomes difficult for social media platforms to separate the grain from the chaff.

 

[Old School]

Did India's Troll Farms Originate to Promote Global Islamophobia as well as Exerting Political Influence?

• Concerns raised about India's use of troll farms for political and ideological manipulation; accusations of fostering Islamophobia through orchestrated online campaigns.

• Despite calls for action, India's troll farm activities persist, affecting digital discourse and sowing disinformation

In 2022, a chorus of voices, comprising European parliamentarians, IT experts, and officials, raised a resounding alarm regarding India's persistent employment of troll farms across the digital landscape. Despite the clarion call for action, these concerns have yet to be addressed, leaving the repeated attempt of pervasive influence on the public psyche palpably intact.

Critics who have dared to voice their disquiet over the choreographed digital warfare assert that the troll farms in India remain unwitting conduits of political and ideological manipulation. For the uninitiated, the term "troll farm" denotes a collective assembly of online provocateurs, whether commissioned by certain factions or autonomous in their pursuits, aimed at the subversion of political opinions and decision-making through cunningly crafted narratives.

Might I offer a proposition that there exists the possibility of an alternative motive behind the orchestration of these troll farms, that entails fostering a pervasive environment of online Islamophobia? However, we shall re-examine this matter in the latter segment of this article.

While India stands under the spotlight for its utilization of these disinformation dynamos, it's noteworthy that a spectrum of nations including China, Brazil, Russia, and the USA have been ensnared in similar accusations of cultivating troll farms. Operating predominantly on the Meta triad of platforms: Facebook, Instagram, and X, these automated agents inundate the digital discourse with an onslaught of hashtags and propaganda.

Last year witnessed the European Union (EU) delivering a thought-provoking symposium titled 'Taking Stock of India's Information Manipulation Ecosystem'. Convened by the esteemed think-tank Stichting The London Story, this session saw luminaries such as European Parliament Members, delegates from the European Commission, and experts from the UK's Home Office in attendance, all vested in fostering deeper collaboration with India.

Amidst the exchange, one of the panellists, Saikat Chatterjee—Chief Data Analyst of The London Story, enlightened the virtual gathering with insights into the ongoing scrutiny of India's information manipulation ecosystem. This nefarious network, fanning the flames of disinformation and animosity, is viewed through the lens of its potential ripple effect on democratic bastions around the globe.

The discourse also proffered an astute observation: digitization in India often exacts a toll on unsuspecting neophyte internet users. "The implications of this conundrum are profound," mused Gregorová, casting a discerning eye upon the ramifications of digitization within the precincts of the world's populous democracy.
The venerated Meta whistleblower Sophie Zhang illuminated the gathering with her vantage point. She said

Why Hasn't Any Action Been Taken to Address This Issue?

Allegations have swirled that the government may possess its own form of digital cavalry, colloquially referred to as "IT cells." This juxtaposition making the task of sifting truth from artful deception an ever more intricate endeavour.

The inertia surrounding the issue of troll farms can be attributed to an interplay of factors that have converged to stall effective action. India's political interests, the BJP's aspiration to maintain its hold on power and agenda to propagate Islamophobia has fostered an environment where concrete measures remain intentionally elusive in order to serve the ruling BJP party's interest.

These multifaceted challenges underscore the imperative for innovative and collaborative efforts at the global level, as nations grapple with the task of navigating a rapidly evolving digital ecosystem.

The Troubling Impact of India's Troll Farms

The pernicious influence of troll farms continues to cast a long shadow over the digital landscape in India, perpetuating a range of deleterious consequences.

Social media platforms have supplanted conventional news sources, emerging as the primary information reservoir for the Gen Z and Millennial demographics. However, a significant portion of both established mainstream and burgeoning social media news outlets in India are purportedly under the ownership of the BJP. Moreover, a notable proliferation of troll accounts has surfaced, engaging in virtual discourse to counter those critical of the BJP's agenda across the digital realm.

As these entities persist in seeding disinformation and discord, India grapples with fractured information being marred and Muslims in India being maligned and left more vulnerable. This erodes the fabric of informed discourse. Moreover, attempting to indoctrinate Indian and global audience.

Did India's Troll Farms Originate to Promote Global Islamophobia as well as Exerting Political Influence? - S2Jnews

Reading Time: 4 minutes In 2022, a chorus of voices, comprising European parliamentarians, IT experts, and officials, raised a resounding alarm regarding India’s persistent employment of troll farms across the digital landscape. Despite the clarion call for action, these concerns have yet to be...

s2jnews.com

 

[Old School]

Yes, this is common knowledge to anyone who has been using social media recently although with the average iq of an Indian being 70, its hard to differentiate what is a bot or not. Especially on platforms like twitter, Instagram and now tiktok there are so many indians on there it's insane even if they aren't paid trolls. This brings up another discussion, if your country has 1bn plus population, you should separate yourself digitally like the Chinese do for the most part. A lot of indians are getting cheap Internet WiFi too so hence the rise of indians on social media.

I know a lot of big hindu nationalist accounts that are being funded by the BJP. They usually only promote islamophobia and that's about it, even Akhand Bharat and stuff like that, the aryan invasion never happened and they are the ones who invaded Europe etc.

Social media has been made hell but the thing is, they are really only destroying their own image.

India has had bot accounts since forever and trolls but only recently the surge in their numbers makes it easier to recognise them now.

Sure they've created islamophobia but whilst doing that they have deluded most Indian's into believing they are really superior to others, or that's how it seems when you interact which such accounts that they spread hate against every other community thinking they are better.

This is also a good time to mention that anti india/ Hindu rhetoric is highest on the Internet then its ever been because of such people and accounts which included various communities to hate them further.

The most intriguing thing is India's so-called "Information Manipulation Ecosystem," which has become a big investment area. There is a risk that naive, unemployed Pakistanis can become victims of this enterprise for monetary benefits. People from Lahore and Karachi can work for them from the comfort of their homes with a cheap Chinese mobile phone or a laptop while collecting the payment simply as " IT freelancer remittance". The money is then channeled from the EU/USA/GCC so that the authorities can not suspect anything suspicious.

 

[Lulldapull]

These troll farms are now out in the open. And now we have our own troll farms of Indian funded Pakistani media. These Pakistani freelance media people interview some deen miskeen guy on our streets and try to paint the picture that look all Pakistani's are jahil and jihadi. They never interview educated people and are currently the best tool the Indians have to undermine our country in the eyes of Pakistani citizens. All cherry picked content and demonization agenda. And surprisingly our gubment refuses to put an end to this, which means its gotten told by the west to allow this, or else.

 

[Old School]

These troll farms are now out in the open. And now we have our own troll farms of Indian funded Pakistani media. These Pakistani freelance media people interview some deen miskeen guy on our streets and try to paint the picture that look all Pakistani's are jahil and jihadi. They never interview educated people and are currently the best tool the Indians have to undermine our country in the eyes of Pakistani citizens. All cherry picked content and demonization agenda. And surprisingly our gubment refuses to put an end to this, which means its gotten told by the west to allow this, or else.

Without cherry-picking, there are way too many real modern jahils walking with Chinese mobile phones in our country. That is a fact. On the other hand, our people really enjoy when similar cherry-picking take interviews of dumb Americans. They do not realize that America did not become a superpower and owner of the US Dollar by accident or a donation. Making nukes is much easier than creating a world currency like the US dollar. We must ensure that those interviewed jahils do not represent Pakistan, which is a big task.

 

[Lulldapull]

I try to educate our people anywhere I meet em. Most understand what the crux of da issue is, but they get scared of the aftermath. There is just no will nor da motivation to address this drama. Almost all want to stay on da sidelines and do nothing but condemn the status quo. Most overseas Pakistani are very subservient of the status quo, or they will get their citizenships/ green cards revoked and summarily deported in short order. The ones in Pakistan don't say much because they are up to their necks, immersed in a chutiya culture of being zombie's. We don't got proper leadership bud......this is da first step toward solving dis problem. And let me be frank, IK sahb is not the massiah.

 

[Mkesath]

According to EU DisinInfo Lab they have 750 fake media outlets trying to undermine Pakistan in over 119 countries, this was reported in 2020
There main goal is to create a negative image of Pakistan wherever they operate.

EU Group Claims To Have Unearthed 15-Year-Old Indian Disinformation Operation

The operation targeted international institutions and served Indian interests primarily through resurrecting “dead media, dead think-tanks and NGOs”, the report by EU DisinfoLab says.

thewire.in

Fake Media Outlets on India Topics: EU DisinfoLab | YaleGlobal Online

archive-yaleglobal.yale.edu

EU NGO report uncovers Indian disinformation campaign

EU DisinfoLab’s report a ‘deep dive into a 15-year operation targeting the EU and UN to serve Indian interests’.

www.aljazeera.com

Indian Chronicles: deep dive into a 15-year operation targeting the EU and UN to serve Indian interests - EU DisinfoLab

by Gary Machado Alexandre Alaphilippe, Roman Adamczyk and Antoine Grégoire Following a preliminary investigation published in 2019, the EU DisinfoLab uncovered a massive operation targeting international institutions and serving Indian interests. “Indian Chronicles” – the name we gave to this...

www.disinfo.eu

 

[Lulldapull]

According to EU DisinInfo Lab they have 750 fake media outlets trying to undermine Pakistan in over 119 countries, this was reported in 2020
There main goal is to create a negative image of Pakistan wherever they operate.

EU Group Claims To Have Unearthed 15-Year-Old Indian Disinformation Operation

The operation targeted international institutions and served Indian interests primarily through resurrecting “dead media, dead think-tanks and NGOs”, the report by EU DisinfoLab says.

thewire.in

Fake Media Outlets on India Topics: EU DisinfoLab | YaleGlobal Online

archive-yaleglobal.yale.edu

EU NGO report uncovers Indian disinformation campaign

EU DisinfoLab’s report a ‘deep dive into a 15-year operation targeting the EU and UN to serve Indian interests’.

www.aljazeera.com

Indian Chronicles: deep dive into a 15-year operation targeting the EU and UN to serve Indian interests - EU DisinfoLab

by Gary Machado Alexandre Alaphilippe, Roman Adamczyk and Antoine Grégoire Following a preliminary investigation published in 2019, the EU DisinfoLab uncovered a massive operation targeting international institutions and serving Indian interests. “Indian Chronicles” – the name we gave to this...

www.disinfo.eu

View attachment 5593

If yous go on tik tok or insta or YouTube…..bahi it would appear as if wes been cut down and gone under already….……Indian media being allowed by our junta is an absolute disgrace! All being said on it is how we’re just finished gone n buried. And it’s all over, Wes done n dusted. Hum murr gae hain and hindu jumping on our qabar…..

 

[Lulldapull]

I hope Iran counters this toxic propaganda being shoved down da throats of our deen miskeen, this is unacceptable! The Indians are succeeding in brainwashing our ghareeb log. Bewquff Iran watching us go down into hell.

I hope to god Raisi sahb talked to our jharrnail about this issue. Utthay MBS/MBZ openin casino and pubs and legalizing prostitution. Nobody is under any illusions here but this Indian brainwashing of our ghareeb will destroy us guys. Our religion/ culture already watered down. Indians are laughing at us.

Our poor people don’t know Jack shiit. Indians know our weakness now. They know our ghareeb are easy prey because we are in a real economic mess here.

 

[ThunderCat]

I see it all over Facebook. All those posts. "India was the world's richest country before the British looted it."

 

[ThunderCat]

I hope Iran counters this toxic propaganda being shoved down da throats of our deen miskeen, this is unacceptable! The Indians are succeeding in brainwashing our ghareeb log. Bewquff Iran watching us go down into hell.

I hope to god Raisi sahb talked to our jharrnail about this issue. Utthay MBS/MBZ openin casino and pubs and legalizing prostitution. Nobody is under any illusions here but this Indian brainwashing of our ghareeb will destroy us guys. Our religion/ culture already watered down. Indians are laughing at us.

Our poor people don’t know Jack shiit. Indians know our weakness now. They know our ghareeb are easy prey because we are in a real economic mess here.

Iran is no ally of Pakistan. They bombed us in January. They're a belligerent supremacist state.

 

[ThunderCat]

These troll farms are now out in the open. And now we have our own troll farms of Indian funded Pakistani media. These Pakistani freelance media people interview some deen miskeen guy on our streets and try to paint the picture that look all Pakistani's are jahil and jihadi. They never interview educated people and are currently the best tool the Indians have to undermine our country in the eyes of Pakistani citizens. All cherry picked content and demonization agenda. And surprisingly our gubment refuses to put an end to this, which means its gotten told by the west to allow this, or else.

Most of those are elite class Muhajirs & their elite class Sindhi wannabes. The most pro-Bharat types are found in these two groups for anyone familiar with Pakistan.

 

[Old School]

Most of those a elite class Muhajirs & their elite class Sindhi wannabes. The most pro-Bharat types are found in these two groups for anyone familiar with Pakistan.

It is a tricky one because our history itself was written by people who had no connection to the soil of Pakistan. These unrelated people just divided Punjab, for example, where they could not even get any vote in 1946., nor could they speak Punjabi. Elite people from Indian states wanted to keep ruling Pakistan by moving in as the Mongols did in (H)industan in the name of religion, which is Islam in this case.

 

[Egyptian]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1785540585333387584

 

[Lulldapull]

Most of those a elite class Muhajirs & their elite class Sindhi wannabes. The most pro-Bharat types are found in these two groups for anyone familiar with Pakistan.

Bro, mass reversions are in order for pakistani's, just down da road. These Indian troll farms and their minions conducting interviews on our streets and their 'analysts' trashing us in their online shows are far more dangerous to our deen miskeen than the Indian army can ever be. Already our deen miskeen teetering on the brink of poverty and constantly being fed info on how great India is and how helpless and pathetic we are. The take away is always that 'resistance is futile'......just surrender already. Why fight, when yous can't.

 

[Mkesath]

Bro, mass reversions are in order for pakistani's, just down da road. These Indian troll farms and their minions conducting interviews on our streets and their 'analysts' trashing us in their online shows are far more dangerous to our deen miskeen than the Indian army can ever be. Already our deen miskeen teetering on the brink of poverty and constantly being fed info on how great India is and how helpless and pathetic we are. The take away is always that 'resistance is futile'......just surrender already. Why fight, when yous can't.

What do you mean by mass reversion? You cannot revert to something you never historically were. Did their propaganda get to you?

 

[Lulldapull]

What do you mean by mass reversion? You cannot revert to something you never historically were. Did their propaganda get to you?

A key, and very dangerous theme in Indian bot propaganda is that 'you' were 'hindus' and 'sikhs', only a century ago. Your grandpa was a 'good' hindu. He messed up and converted to Islam, and 'yous all' are a massive failure. So now to make it 'right' and to redeem yourself, there is only one way.......and its da way of da 'Sanatan dharma'....... .........where you continue on playing Abdul Majid in public, but privately you stop practicing Islam. And we're ready to hold yer hand, just like wes holdin da hand of your muzlim daddy's MBS and MBZ.......And since they all about us awesome hindu, they've listened to us and halfway dumped Islam. So just do what the GCC is doin and be a good boy.

 

[Mkesath]

A key, and very dangerous theme in Indian bot propaganda is that 'you' were 'hindus' and 'sikhs', only a century ago. Your grandpa was a 'good' hindu. He messed up and converted to Islam, and 'yous all' are a massive failure. So now to make it 'right' and to redeem yourself, there is only one way.......and its da way of da 'Sanatan dharma'....... .........where you continue on playing Abdul Majid in public, but privately you stop practicing Islam. And we're ready to hold yer hand, just like wes holdin da hand of your muzlim daddy's MBS and MBZ.......And since they all about us awesome hindu, they've listened to us and halfway dumped Islam. So just do what the GCC is doin and be a good boy.

I know but anyone who has a working brain knows it's propaganda and historically false. The only people that will fall are the sub human type of people and I say let them, but for real Pakistan needs to fix its mullah and extremist issue so people aren't pushed away like in iran.

 

[Lulldapull]

I know but anyone who has a working brain knows it's propaganda and historically false. The only people that will fall are the sub human type of people and I say let them

Banya is far slicker than us bro.......any time, any where, any day. Unbeknownst to many of our countrymen, we've been had. That's why in the face of our surrender, the last hope of maintaining some semblance of sovereignty was an alliance with the wily Irani mulla's. However, that is just wishful thinking on my part. Indian pressure was unrelenting and they've subdued us now. Indian bot farms openly operating in our country, evidently with quiet GHQ approval is proof of this.

 

[ThunderCat]

Bro, mass reversions are in order for pakistani's, just down da road. These Indian troll farms and their minions conducting interviews on our streets and their 'analysts' trashing us in their online shows are far more dangerous to our deen miskeen than the Indian army can ever be. Already our deen miskeen teetering on the brink of poverty and constantly being fed info on how great India is and how helpless and pathetic we are. The take away is always that 'resistance is futile'......just surrender already. Why fight, when yous can't.

Yes and who runs that media? Take a look at Pakistan's most prominent pro-Indian columnists. They're practically all Muhajirs elite. Surprised?

Not to mention Tarek Fatah. A clear cut East Punjabi Muhajir.

 

[ThunderCat]

It is a tricky one because our history itself was written by people who had no connection to the soil of Pakistan. These unrelated people just divided Punjab, for example, where they could not even get any vote in 1946., nor could they speak Punjabi. Elite people from Indian states wanted to keep ruling Pakistan by moving in as the Mongols did in (H)industan in the name of religion, which is Islam in this case.

Agree for the most part, except it's arguable whether Punjab was much of an entity prior to British rule. Punjab, Sindh etc. were mostly geographical terms but the British designated them into proper regional districts.

They even created standardized varieties of these languages.

The other thing is this propaganda does not just run in elite class Muhajirs but Sindhis as well. Nobody apes Muhajirs harder than Sindhis in Pakistan, which is ironic but a hard reality.

The enmity Muhajir elites have developed for Pakistan is their loosing of finance & power to the armed forces, which itself is a corrupt institution but still a collateral obstruction to Muhajir dominance in the country.

 

[Lulldapull]

Agree for the most part, except it's arguable whether Punjab was much of an entity prior to British rule. Punjab, Sindh etc. were mostly geographical terms but the British designated them into proper regional districts.

They even created standardized varieties of these languages.

The other thing is this propaganda does not just run in elite class Muhajirs but Sindhis as well. Nobody apes Muhajirs harder than Sindhis in Pakistan, which is ironic but a hard reality.

The enmity Muhajir elites have developed for Pakistan is their loosing of finance & power to the armed forces, which itself is a corrupt institution but still a collateral obstruction to Muhajir dominance in the country.

I worked in Iraq for a while and I saw their society up close…..the British have managed to do the same thing over in their country too. Just like what they’ve done in the subcontinent. Do you see iraqs condition today?

Same same bhai…….same same…..

Shia/ Sunni/ Kurdish/Assyrian X-Tian, Chaldean X-Tian and the yazidi pagans and the Turkmen Khurmato tomatoes…..

Toba toba toba!

Wes sharing da fate of Iraq bhai. Udher bhee yehee haal hae.

 

[ThunderCat]

I worked in Iraq for a while and I saw their society up close…..the British have managed to do the same thing over in their country too. Just like what they’ve done in the subcontinent. Do you see iraqs condition today?

Same same bhai…….same same…..

Shia/ Sunni/ Kurdish/Assyrian X-Tian, Chaldean X-Tian and the yazidi pagans and the Turkmen Khurmato tomatoes…..

Toba toba toba!

Wes sharing da fate of Iraq bhai. Udher bhee yehee haal hae.

Iraq would still have been in better condition if just managed a little differently. They have the right population for their country size. Just get their oil industry booming and handout the profits to the people.

Give them solar power for each household and they'll be getting more paychecks than bills. The country would be stable.

 

[Lulldapull]

Iraq would still have been in better condition if just managed a little differently. They have the right population for their country size. Just get their oil industry booming and handout the profits to the people.

Give them solar power for each household and they'll be getting more paychecks than bills. The country would be stable.

yaar iraq is a broken nation. I saw it. A third of their country has already seceded from their territory. Lets hope we learn from their disaster so we don't lose our KP or balochistan.

Anyway coming back to this Indian troll farm, this guy Sohaib chaudhry is an Indian handle and this khabees Alok banya is on RAW payroll. Not a day goes by where he don't trash us online:

 

[Lulldapull]

You guys notice the subliminal message here: