For nearly 11 months, thousands of fake, automated Twitter accounts have been created to promote former US president Donald Trump.
Besides posting praise of the former president, the bogus accounts have mocked and derided Mr Trump’s critics from both the Democratic and Republican parties and launched attacks on Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and UN ambassador.
Ms Haley announced last that month she was challenging her former boss for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
The bot accounts also suggested that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis — another Republican believed to be preparing to launch a bid — could not beat Mr Trump in the election, but would be a great running mate.
Mr Trump has been critical of Mr DeSantis in the past, calling him “Ron De-Sanctimonious”.
The cyber culprit has been using online manipulation techniques pioneered by Russia to sway the digital platform conversation about candidates while exploiting Twitter’s algorithms to maximise reach.
The sprawling bot network was uncovered by researchers at Cyabra, an Israeli tech firm that shared its findings with The Associated Press.
While the identity of those behind the network of fake accounts is unknown, Cyabra’s analysts determined that it was likely created within the US.
Bots, as they are commonly called, are fake, automated accounts that became notoriously well-known after Russia employed them in an effort to meddle in the 2016 election.
Big tech companies have improved their detection of fake accounts, but the network identified by Cyabra shows they remain a potent force in shaping online political discussion.
The new pro-Trump network is actually three different networks of Twitter accounts, all created in huge batches in April, October and November 2022. In all, researchers believe hundreds of thousands of accounts could be involved.
The accounts all feature personal photos of the alleged account holder as well as a name. Some of the accounts posted their own content, often in reply to real users, while others reposted content from real users, helping to amplify it further.
The same network of accounts shared overwhelmingly positive content about Mr Trump and contributed to an overall false picture of his support online, researchers found.
“Our understanding of what is mainstream Republican sentiment for 2024 is being manipulated by the prevalence of bots online,” the Cyabra researchers concluded.
Former president Donald Trump's Truth Social feed - in pictures
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On Truth Social, a social media platform founded by Donald Trump after he was banned from Twitter, conversation is often limited to sycophantic memes and conspiratorial memes. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Almost all of Mr Trump's followers are die-hard supporters and criticism of the former president is rare. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Mr Trump's signature line on 'The Apprentice' was: 'You're Fired!' Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Many memes lionise the former president. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Mr Trump hopes to get a second term in office in 2024. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
A not-true ReTruth: Trump-backed, election-denying candidate Kari Lake lost to Democrat Katie Dobbs in the Arizona governor race. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Mr Trump suggests voter fraud in the Arizona governor race. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Mr Trump attacks Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who may be well positioned to duel the former president in the 2024 White House race. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Many Maga Republicans miss Mr Trump. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Mr Trump attacks mail-in ballots that allow millions of Americans who are unable to vote on election day to participate. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Some of the Trump supporters that stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, used American flags to attack police officers. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Supporters credit Mr Trump with not starting any new wars. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
How many moves in a game of chess? Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Another ReTruth. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
The 'Greatest Of All Time'? That remains to be seen. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Mr Trump was expected to announce a new run for the White House on November 15. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Mr Trump blamed Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell for Republicans' poor showing in the midterm elections. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Mr Trump still attracts fierce loyalty from his 'Maga' supporters. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Mr Trump suggests he would perform better than Ron DeSantis. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
A variation on the election-denying theme. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Mr Trump has continued to make his baseless claims of election fraud in races he or his fellow Republicans lost. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Another ReTruth. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Mr Trump returns to his debunked claims of widespread election fraud. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Another teaser for his November 15 announcement. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Mr Trump 'ReTruths' a message from a follower. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
The 'legend' will be 78 at the 2024 election, the same age Joe Biden was when he got elected. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Mr Trump is expected to announce he will run again for president in 2024. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Mr Trump teases his announcement on November 15. Photo: Screengrab from Truth Social -
Truth Social is only available in the US, Canada and Brazil. Reuters
The Associated Press contributed to this report
