NABU told how Telegram channels attack anti-corruption bodies
Фото: Facebook
Information campaigns against the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office often begin with anonymous Telegram channels.
This was reported by the head of the NABU communications department, Margarita Zhivaga.
According to her, the Bureau regularly monitors the information space and notices signs of coordinated campaigns. One of the main signs is the synchronous appearance of identical messages in different Telegram channels.
“Virtually identical texts appear in several publics almost simultaneously. These are the so-called grids or packages, when the same text is published in different channels,” Zhivaga explained.
She noted that such messages often contain distorted or inaccurate information. Among the common messages are accusations of NABU’s alleged ties to an aggressor country, inefficiency, or even undermining defense capabilities.
According to Zhivaga, the channels that spread such posts are mostly the same. New ones appear rarely, and messages are often published within a few minutes of each other.
She added that in February last year alone, NABU recorded over 300 such publications.
Zhivaga also drew attention to the problem of anonymity of Telegram channels. According to her, they do not have transparent ownership, sources of funding, and are not actually responsible for the dissemination of information.
In addition, such channels are not subject to media legislation and do not pay taxes. Because of this, she said, such campaigns can be financed from non-transparent sources.
It was previously reported that anonymous Telegram channels spread another portion of slanderous nonsense against the leader of “European Solidarity”, the fifth President Petro Poroshenko.