Statements
Coordinated inauthentic behaviour by the Georgian government in social networks must be investigated!
05.05.2023
According to the quarterly report released by META, the company has deleted 80 Facebook accounts, 26 pages, 9 groups and 2 Instagram accounts due to coordinated inauthentic behavior. Groups supporting Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili and other pro-government accounts have also been deleted.
Based on the report, “Although the people behind this operation attempted to conceal their identities and coordination, our investigation found links to the Strategic Communications Department of the Government Administration of Georgia”. The network in question often used the comment function to spread inauthentic, false information to the public in order to create a desired social dynamic. The network also tried to promote pro-government messages, discredit the opposition and civic activists. The report also emphasizes that all this was happening In the context of the "Foreign Agents Act". According to META, about 33,500 US dollars were spent on advertising the posts of pro-government networks on social networks.
Based on the report, “Although the people behind this operation attempted to conceal their identities and coordination, our investigation found links to the Strategic Communications Department of the Government Administration of Georgia”. The network in question often used the comment function to spread inauthentic, false information to the public in order to create a desired social dynamic. The network also tried to promote pro-government messages, discredit the opposition and civic activists. The report also emphasizes that all this was happening In the context of the "Foreign Agents Act". According to META, about 33,500 US dollars were spent on advertising the posts of pro-government networks on social networks.
It should also be underlined that various organizations and researchers have revealed the scheme of pages operating in support of the Georgian government and the ruling party in the past. The monitoring carried out by "ISFED" in 2021, revealed that the pages secretly connected to the government's Stratcom were performing the function of public relations of the Prime Minister and the ruling party and, at the same time, were running a discrediting campaign on the opposition.
The declared main task of the Department of Strategic Communications of the Government of Georgia is to support the long-term goals of the government. In this regard, the most important thing is to increase public awareness about the integration into the European and Euro-Atlantic structures defined by the Constitution of Georgia. It’s worrying that, contrary to its declared goals, StratCom department is involved in covert operations to mislead the citizens of Georgia.
Considering the extent of the damage that disinformation schemes can cause in Georgia’s political environment, we, the "Information Integrity Coalition", call on the Parliament of Georgia to use the oversight mechanisms at its disposal to investigate the disinformation schemes mentioned in the report, including creating a temporary investigative commission and/or contacting the State Audit Service.
DRI: პოლიციის უმოქმედობა აქციის მონაწილეების მიმართ ძალადობაზე მიანიშნებს ძალადობრივი ჯგუფების ინსტრუმენტალიზაციაზე
DRI ეხმიანება გმირთა მოედნის მიმდებარე ტერიტორიაზე აქციის მონაწილეებზე ორგანიზებული ჯგუფების თავდასხმას, აღნიშნავს, რომ ძალადობასთან დაკავშირებით ხაზგასმით თვალშისაცემია სამართალდამცველთა.
03.05.2024
DRI: The Ministry of Internal Affairs violates guidelines for acting during assemblies and demonstrations
On May 1, 2024, the Ministry of Internal Affairs used active special equipment, including pepper spray, tear gas, pepper gas shells, rubber bullets and water cannon, against protesters in the vicinity of the Parliament.
02.05.2024
DRI: The authorities illegally dispersed an assembly against the Russian law
The use of disproportionate physical force and special equipment to disperse the rally, as well as the illegal practice of arresting participants in the rally, prove that the Ministry of Internal Affairs went beyond the scope of legality.
01.05.2024
