The International Institute for Education and Research on Antisemitism (IIBSA) contributed to an ARD-faktenfinder investigation by supporting the analysis of 4.2 million comments on the Instagram account of tagesschau.
The analysis was part of an international research cooperation that examined more than 17.5 million comments on the social media channels of European public broadcasters. IIBSA’s contribution focused on the analysis of the tagesschau comment sections and the classification of striking patterns related to an influence campaign and bot networks in support of the Iranian regime.
The analysis focused on potentially automated or coordinated comment networks that spread comments in line with the Iranian regime, discredited protests against the regime, or amplified anti-Western and anti-Zionist narratives. Notable patterns included identical comments, narrow time windows, high repetition rates and profile characteristics that may indicate purchased reach, click farms or bot networks.
Dr. Kim Robin Stoller, Chair of IIBSA, provided analytical context for ARD-faktenfinder. Referring to nearly identical comments posted within a very short period of time, she stated: “Technically, this is clear: hundreds of identical comments under a single post, minute by minute, almost one hundred percent duplicates — no human types like that.”
The profile characteristics also pointed to indicators that may suggest purchased reach, click farms or automated networks. These included newly created accounts, long number combinations in profile names, few followers, hardly any original posts and recurring technical patterns.
At the same time, the analysis shows how important analytical differentiation is. Not every coordinated activity is automatically a bot network. The findings point to different patterns of digital influence: potentially automated networks, purchased reach, coordinated amplification by a small number of accounts and coordinated campaigns by profiles that appear more authentic.
The analysis demonstrates how comment sections of high-reach news channels can be used strategically to influence public debates, amplify narratives in support of the Iranian regime and put democratic public discourse under pressure.
IIBSA has been working for many years on antisemitism, Islamism, right-wing extremism, digital mobilization and international influence operations. The analysis with ARD-faktenfinder shows how journalistic investigation, academic analysis and digital methodology can work together to make manipulation attempts in public communication spaces visible.
Read the ARD-faktenfinder article: “Wie Bots die Kommentarspalten auf Social Media manipulieren”
https://www.tagesschau.de/investigativ/iran-social-media-bots-100.html