Whiff of Israeli social media tinkering in India

A team of Israeli contractors who are feared to have interfered with more than 30 elections around the world have been linked with software to operate fake social media campaigns across several countries, including India, a report said on Wednesday.

In an international investigation by a journalists’ consortium that included The Guardian newspaper in the UK, a so-called “Team Jorge” unit has been linked with allegedly offering a sophisticated software package named Advanced Impact Media Solutions (Aims) to commercial clients as one of its key services.

The unit is said to be run by Tal Hanan, a 50-year-old former Israeli special forces operative who works privately using the pseudonym “Jorge”, and Team Jorge is accused of using means such as hacking, sabotage and automated disinformation online. When questioned, Hanan told the investigation that he denies “any wrongdoing”.