Coordinated Inauthentic Behaviour

From the IFTAS Moderator Library, supporting Fediverse trust & safety

Updated on 2024-03-27

Definition

Organized online activity where an account or groups of accounts including “fake” secondary accounts (which exist solely or mainly to engage in such campaigns) act to mislead people or fraudulently elevate the popularity or visibility of content or accounts, such as mass-following an account to raise its clout.

Background

Coordinated inauthentic behaviour refers to the orchestration of actions across multiple accounts – often across multiple platforms – to manipulate public opinion or disrupt conversations. This is often marked by simultaneous posting of similar messages, artificially amplifying certain viewpoints. Moderators should look for signs of synchronisation among users that don’t appear to act independently. Care must be taken not to confuse genuine community movements or campaigns with inauthentic coordinated efforts.

Coordinated behaviour may manifest as Sock Puppet accounts and Astroturfing.

Example Rule

Engaging in or supporting coordinated inauthentic behaviour to manipulate discussions or disrupt the community is prohibited.

Discussion

Discuss this label in the Coordinated Inauthentic Behaviour forum.

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