African troll networks influence Swedish debate with stolen images

In addition to this, we also find a couple of hundred accounts from neighboring countries such as Benin, Ivory Coast and Ghana.

African trolls and stolen pictures

This is just one example obtained from platform X by the analysis company Trollrensics and the non-profit organization Alliance4europe in collaboration with SVT.

The obtained material shows how a network of thousands of accounts, mostly based in West African countries, has set its sights on Sweden.

These African troll accounts follow real Swedish users who are mostly right-leaning, although we also find examples on the left.

Troll accounts use stolen images and made-up names, which in several cases sound Swedish.

There are indications that the network is also active on other social media platforms such as Facebook.

“Can significantly distort the image”

Mohsen Mosleh is senior lecturer in social computer science at the University of Oxford. According to him, the network can influence which political issues gain visibility and dissemination.

- The most important effect is about how public opinion is perceived. Politicians, journalists and other users can draw conclusions about "what people think" based on which issues seem to have an impact. A network of this size can therefore significantly distort that picture, he says.

The professor: "In line with Russian influence operations"

Robert van der Noordaa at Trollrensics, who has analyzed this type of network for twelve years, believes that Russian money is likely to finance troll activities in Africa.

- You can see them as mercenaries who built up a huge army of accounts, he says.

Professor Darren Linwill, disinformation researcher at American Clemson University, has seen the material and makes a similar assessment.

- The attempt to spread extremist content is in line with Russian influence operations that stretch back decades, he says.

Darren Linwill's conclusion is that the accounts SVT looks at are run by one or more African "marketing companies".

See SVT's review of how the troll network works in the video above.