Fake Celebrity Accounts Ignite U.S. Election Race

30th August 2024

3 minutes read

Fake Celebrity Accounts Ignite U.S. Election Race

An analysis by the American network “CNN” revealed that supporters of former U.S. President Donald Trump have exploited photos of European influencers to promote the Republican candidate’s agenda during the upcoming presidential election in November.

Debbie Niederlof was one of 17 real European women – fashion and beauty influencers from the Netherlands, Denmark, and even Russia – whose photos were stolen from the internet by unknown entities to promote Trump and Senator J.D. Vance on the X platform.

The fake accounts are among 56 personal accounts on X identified by the American network as part of a coordinated campaign to support the Trump-Vance ticket ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

Experts believe this may be just the tip of the iceberg, as the analysis of the 56 pro-Trump accounts reveals a systematic pattern of behavior, where all accounts use images of attractive young women – many stolen, others generated by artificial intelligence – declaring their support for Trump.

In many cases, the network found that the photos had been manipulated to add Trump and MAGA logos to unbranded clothing, all with captions urging people to vote.

The accounts also post similar messages, often containing errors in English (a potential sign of foreign interference, according to experts), and sometimes repost each other’s content. Most were created in recent months and have seen rapid growth in followers; all claim to be located in the United States. Fifteen of the fake accounts have blue checkmarks – supposedly indicating they have been verified – and eight have been identified as using stolen images.

“CNN” also contacted all the real European women identified during the investigation and managed to interview four of them. Speaking from her home in Trier, Germany, Niederlof said this was not the first time her photos had been stolen and used without her consent, but she had never known her image was being used to promote any kind of political agenda before.

The fake account using Niederlof’s photos posted messages filled with conspiracy theories falsely claiming that the U.S. elections were rigged and that Trump had faced more assassination attempts.

The emergence of these fake accounts on X comes as the 2024 presidential race between Harris and Trump heats up, and as the spread of misinformation and messages designed to sow division among voters on social media platforms like Facebook and X increases.

According to the network, “these fake accounts have found fertile ground under Elon Musk’s leadership, as X has removed many mechanisms and teams designed to prevent the spread of lies and conspiracy theories on the platform.”

The European Commission launched an investigation into “X” last year over allegations of non-compliance with the EU’s landmark Digital Services Act, a regulation aimed at preventing harmful online activities and the spread of misinformation while limiting the power of social media platforms.

The legislation was designed to protect consumers like Niederlof, but she and other European influencers interviewed by CNN said they had difficulty convincing social media platforms to take action when they report the unauthorized use of their images or the theft of their identities, reflecting the challenges of law enforcement and highlighting the growing threat to women’s bodily autonomy in the online realm.