Archimedes Group

Last updated
Archimedes Group
Industry Private intelligence agency
Headquarters Tel Aviv

Archimedes Group is a Tel Aviv-based private intelligence agency that has operated political campaigns using social media since 2017. [1]

Contents

History

The current CEO of Archimedes is a former director of the Brussels-based European Friends of Israel lobbying group. This individual has also served as a political adviser in Israel's parliament and an ex-intelligence agent for the Israeli air force. [2] [3] [4] Other senior executive include Yuval Harel, Fabio Goldman, Uri Ben Yosef, Ariel Treiger, and Rafi Cesana. [5] [6] [7]

In 2019, it was banned from Facebook for "coordinated inauthentic behavior" after Facebook found fake users in countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia. [8] Facebook investigations revealed that Archimedes had spent some $1.1 million on fake ads, paid for in Brazilian reais, Israeli shekels and US dollars. [9] Facebook gave examples of Archimedes Group political interference. [10] The Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab said in a report that "The tactics employed by Archimedes Group, a private company, closely resemble the types of information warfare tactics often used by governments, and the Kremlin in particular." [11] [ better source needed ]

See also

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References

  1. Debre, Isabel; Satter, Raphael (2019-05-16). "Facebook busts Israel-based campaign to disrupt elections". AP NEWS. Retrieved 2019-06-08.
  2. Satter, Isabel Debre and Raphael (2019-05-16). "'Change reality': Facebook busts Israel-based campaign to disrupt elections". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2019-06-08.
  3. "Haywood Hunt" . Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  4. Solomon, Shoshanna; AP. "Facebook bans Israel-based firm that ran campaigns to disrupt elections". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2019-06-08.
  5. "Israeli Tech's Dirty Ops". jacobinmag.com. Retrieved 2019-06-08.
  6. Needleman, Sarah E. (2019-05-16). "Facebook Bans Israeli Firm Over Fake Political Activity". Wall Street Journal. ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved 2019-06-08.
  7. Weinglass, Simona. "Archimedes Group, outed by Facebook for election fakery, works from Holon office". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2019-06-08.
  8. Madowo, Larry (2019-05-24). "Is Facebook undermining democracy in Africa?" . Retrieved 2019-06-08.
  9. Satter, Isabel Debre and Raphael (2019-05-16). "'Change reality': Facebook busts Israel-based campaign to disrupt elections". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2019-06-08.
  10. "Removing Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior From Israel | Facebook Newsroom". 16 May 2019. Retrieved 2019-06-08.
  11. Business, Donie O'Sullivan and Hadas Gold, CNN (16 May 2019). "Facebook says Israeli company used fake accounts to target African elections". CNN. Archived from the original on 2019-05-16. Retrieved 2019-06-08.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)