State-Sponsored Platform Manipulation
For years, the Twitter debate on U.S. policy toward Iran has been plagued by platform manipulation, ranging from targeted abuse to gaming trending hashtags. This has led to real-world threats of violence toward many civil society activists, including women and journalists.
In September 2022, after the death of Mahsa Amini at the hands of Iran’s morality police, platform manipulation directed at the Iranian diasporic community increased significantly.
Most troublingly, we have uncovered evidence that strongly suggests state-actor involvement.