The covert network weaponized conspiracy narratives to falsely portray Qatar as the orchestrator of mass immigration aimed at Islamising Europe. The United Kingdom and the United States saw the highest reach, recording 154 million and 100 million views respectively, while France logged the largest share of ad placements. The operation also ran a separate TikTok effort pushing for Iranian regime change. Researchers noted ad spending surged ahead of the June 2024 European Parliament elections in France, demonstrating direct alignment with national political calendars.
Key points
Digital ad purchases were intentionally coordinated to manipulate public sentiment during…: Digital ad purchases were intentionally coordinated to manipulate public sentiment during key political events and national election cycles.
Investigators warned that the influence operation remains active in European nations faci…: Investigators warned that the influence operation remains active in European nations facing major upcoming votes through 2027.
A secondary digital campaign uncovered on TikTok targeted European audiences to advocate…: A secondary digital campaign uncovered on TikTok targeted European audiences to advocate for political regime change in Iran.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
Investigation finds that years-long operation sought to portray Qatar as driving force behind mass migration to Europe.
A years-long, paid-for influence operation promoting racist, Islamophobic and anti-Qatar views has been uncovered by two academics, with the evidence suggesting the campaign was intended to serve Israeli interests.
The investigation, which took three years, was published on Thursday. It detailed an operation that likely cost more than $11m and was carried out across 30 countries, including in Europe, the United States and Lebanon.
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As part of the campaign, several million internet users were exposed to advertisements on sites like YouTube, TikTok and Facebook that pushed an agenda, according to the report titled Manufacturing the “Great Replacement”.
Marc Owen Jones, a professor at Northwestern University’s Doha campus, and independent researcher Sohan Dsouza, the academics who published the report,…
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