A recent report by Citizen Lab revealed a coordinated effort involving a network of social media accounts, reportedly backed by Israel, that spread anti-government propaganda in Iran during real-world conflicts. This campaign, dubbed PRISONBREAK, involved the use of AI-generated content to incite unrest among the Iranian populace, particularly following Israeli military actions against Iran in June 2023.
The research highlighted a surge in activity from over 50 accounts on X (formerly Twitter), which had been mostly inactive until this year. These accounts disseminated misleading information and fake news to depict Iran as unstable, aiming to encourage citizens to revolt against their government. The campaign intensified during events such as the Israeli airstrike on Evin Prison, a facility known for housing political prisoners, where posts emerged almost immediately following the strike, featuring AI-manipulated content that misled several news outlets.
The findings suggest that those behind the PRISONBREAK network likely had prior knowledge of Israeli military operations and were well-prepared to synchronize their disinformation efforts with real-time events. Although many posts did not garner significant engagement, some, particularly a call to action for young people to storm Evin Prison, received considerable attention.
This is not the first instance of Israeli-linked disinformation campaigns; previous research tied similar activities on platforms like Facebook and Instagram to an Israeli firm, STOIC, among others. Researchers pointed out that democratic states and private companies are increasingly involved in disinformation efforts, often obscuring their origins.
The Israeli embassy did not respond to requests for comment regarding the allegations.
