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Operation Dark Clark – Russia built a real organisation around a false identity Most influence operations create fake people, fake websites or fake news stories. Operation Dark Clark appears to have gone considerably further: Russian operators built what looked like a functioning research organisation in Latin America, employed real people to produce genuine research and concealed from those employees who was ultimately directing their work. OpenAI disclosed the operation on 8 October after banning a cluster of accounts originating in Russia. The actors used ChatGPT while targeting countries across Latin America, principally to damage Ukraine’s reputation, manipulate domestic political debates and manage a self-described research organisation called the Social Research Center, or SRC. OpenAI assessed Dark Clark as Category Five on the six-level Breakout Scale, the first operation it has disrupted since beginning its influence-operation reporting to reach that level. A front organisation with real employees The SRC presented itself as a research platform studying subjects including Latin America’s relationship with India and the Indian diaspora. OpenAI found more than 60 articles on its website, most of them apparently original rather than plagiarised. Internal reports produced by the Russian operators discussed hiring, dismissals, salary scales, staffing and unfinished research projects, strongly suggesting that the operators controlled the organisation rather than merely collaborating with it. At the centre of the structure was “Mia Clark”, a fictitious identity reportedly used to manage social-media activity and communicate with staff. According to OpenAI, the available evidence indicates that employees working for SRC in Latin America were probably unaware that the organisation was being directed by Russian actors. They interviewed experts, conducted research and wrote papers in what appears to have been good faith. The deception therefore existed primarily at the organisational level: much of the work was real, but the identity and strategic purpose of the institution commissioning it were not. OpenAI This is one reason Dark Clark differs from the familiar model of a troll farm. A reader encountering an SRC paper might be looking at research genuinely written by a Latin American employee based on genuine interviews. The manipulation lies further upstream, in who built the institution, selected its direction and controlled its infrastructure. From forged emails to real events The operation also appears to have attempted something more ambitious than online persuasion: inducing real people to produce events that could later be turned into propaganda. In May 2026, according to the operators’ internal reports, they created an email address impersonating Lima’s regional education authorities and instructed schools to organise activities about Ukraine for a cultural-diversity event. The instructions included references to Stepan Bandera, whose historical legacy remains particularly contentious in Poland and parts of Eastern Europe. The operators claimed that some schools complied, replied to the false address and sent photographs of the events. OpenAI could not independently verify every claim contained in the operators’ reports. It did, however, find Peruvian reporting matching the story, followed by publications in Poland and an English-language outlet in Hungary. Some coverage included comments from a Polish MEP calling for people displaying what he described as anti-Polish attitudes to be declared persona non grata. OpenAI therefore concluded that the fabricated starting point appears to have entered genuine political debate across national borders. The mechanism is unusually effective because the final photographs need not themselves be fabricated. If people can be tricked into staging a real event on the basis of a forged instruction, the operation creates authentic visual evidence of something that was artificially initiated. The same method in Ecuador and Bolivia Dark Clark’s internal reports describe similar efforts elsewhere. In Ecuador, the operators claimed they used a fake education email to encourage schools to stage ceremonies involving President Daniel Noboa and Erik Prince, the former head of Blackwater. Ecuadorian media subsequently covered a matching controversy, and the country’s education minister issued a detailed denial. Other Ecuador-focused material included fabricated audio attributed to Ukraine’s consul and a false television report alleging that Noboa’s government was recruiting Ecuadorians to fight in Ukraine. Local fact-checker Lupa found that the supposed Teleamazonas report had never been broadcast, that images had been taken from Instagram, that the audio was AI-generated and that a company named in a supposed recruitment contract did not exist in Ecuador’s corporate registry. In Bolivia, an internal report described a fake audio recording supposedly made by an employee of state water company EPSAS during anti-government protests. It claimed that water supplies to La Paz would be cut and a state of emergency declared. The allegation produced a fact-check and an official denial. OpenAI says the operators explicitly described their objective as worsening the political crisis surrounding the demonstrations. Possible links to the post-Wagner influence machine Dark Clark did not emerge in a vacuum. The operators repeatedly asked ChatGPT about Politology and La Compania, names associated in previous investigations with the Russian influence apparatus that developed from structures once connected to Yevgeny Prigozhin. Forbidden Stories and its partners obtained 1,431 pages of internal documents describing a network known as “The Company”, which they reported had grown to almost 100 operatives and was conducting influence projects across roughly 30 Global South countries. Their investigation found that the organisation moved under the supervision of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, the SVR, after Prigozhin’s death. Its documented budget for ten months of activity in 2024 was approximately €7.3 million. Two older Argentina campaigns claimed in Dark Clark’s internal reports — a false story about Javier Milei buying Cartier collars for his dogs and the staging of anti-Milei graffiti — had already been independently attributed by investigative journalists to Politology/La Compania. That is significant corroboration, but it is not enough to prove that every Dark Clark activity was run by the same organisational structure. AI was the back office, not the mastermind Perhaps the most important finding concerns artificial intelligence itself. In most documented cases, the Russians were not using ChatGPT to generate the propaganda seen by the public. Their principal use was administrative: drafting reports for an unknown superior, summarising operations, translating material and recording the supposed success of campaigns. Those reports also expose a weakness in the operators’ own measurement. OpenAI found instances in which they tried to claim credit for developments they had probably not caused, suggesting that they were not only attempting to manipulate Latin American audiences but also presenting an inflated picture of their effectiveness to whoever was supervising them. Dark Clark nevertheless broke further into the real world than any influence operation OpenAI had previously disrupted. Under the Brookings framework, Category Five means that an operation has escaped its original network and been amplified by high-profile individuals such as politicians. Dark Clark crossed that threshold because fabricated narratives appear to have provoked governmental denials, mainstream reporting and political comment in several countries. Its most important innovation was therefore not a particularly convincing deepfake. It was the construction of a partly genuine institution around a concealed foreign controller. The research could be real. The employees could be real. The interviews could be real. What was false was who they were ultimately working for. Sources OpenAI — Disrupting AI-enabled “false front” operations https://openai.com/index/disrupting-ai-enabled-false-front-operations/ Forbidden Stories — Propaganda Machine: Russia’s foreign influence strategy across three continents https://forbiddenstories.org/propaganda-machine-secret-documents-reveal-russias-foreign-influence-strategy-across-three-continents/ Forbidden Stories — Ghost Journalists, Cash and Kremlin Scripts: Argentina https://forbiddenstories.org/ghost-journalists-cash-and-kremlin-scripts-how-russian-operatives-tried-to-influence-argentinian-media/ openDemocracy — Russian influence operation in Bolivia https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/russia-bolivia-south-america-putin-evo-morales-wagner-prigozhin-covert-operations-propaganda-disinformation-foreign-interference/ Lupa Media — Fake Teleamazonas report about recruiting Ecuadorians for Ukraine https://lupa.com.ec/verificaciones/noboa-mercenarios-ucrania-ecuador/ Brookings Institution — The Breakout Scale https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-breakout-scale-measuring-the-impact-of-influence-operations/ Keywords: #DISINFORMED #Episode17 #OperationDarkClark #DarkClark #Russia #LatinAmerica #RussianInfluence #RussianDisinformation #Disinformation #InformationWarfare #InfluenceOperations #ForeignInterference #FIMI #FalseFront #FrontOrganisation #FakeInstitution #SocialResearchCenter #SRC #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #GenerativeAI #ChatGPT #OpenAI #NarrativeManipulation #SourceLaundering #InstitutionalManipulation #ForgedDocuments #FakeAudio #PoliticalInfluence #CovertInfluence #Peru #Ecuador #Bolivia #Argentina #Ukraine #Politology #LaCompania #TheCompany #SVR #WagnerLegacy #PropagandaMachine #GlobalSouth #BreakoutScale #OSINT #MediaManipulation #WRLD

Tanzania has sent a delegation of more than sixty representatives from the government and business community to The Hague in an effort to attract European investors, while experiencing that Chinese companies make decisions more quickly. #Tanzania #Investeringen #Cashewnoten (translated)

Varizan relayed the figures for the year 2026 provided by Team Vitality. According to this data, the club had signed a seven-figure sponsorship contract with Leclerc and recorded its best year for merchandise, with 118% more jerseys sold than in 2024. At the EWC, Team Vitality was reportedly the most-watched club and had sold the most tickets to its fans, while its booth hosted more than 20,000 visitors. Internationally, the club had 310,000 subscribers on Weibo, and the MPL Indonesia S17 final, won 4-1 against ONIC, reached 2.94 million viewers at its peak. In sporting terms, it won 54 titles and earned 12 million dollars in prizes in 2026, including the EWC. Varizan estimated that internationalization was the main positive point, emphasizing the importance of China and Indonesia for clubs looking to establish themselves globally. He indicated that the link to all the figures was included in the tweet. #Esport #International #TeamVitality (translated)

Giovanni Martinelli wrote that the Superbonus had been, was, and would be paid by the citizens, just like the citizenship income, various bonuses, and the cashback operation. He argued that considerable sums had been taken from them to finance expenses he deemed unreasonable. https://t.co/oUOUe1SvAx #superbonus #reddito #politica (translated)

Dividend King estimated that the new proposals aimed at increasing the flat tax would mainly penalize small savers rather than the wealthiest. According to him, the latter would distribute very few dividends personally, transferring them from operating companies to holding companies, where the mother-daughter regime would allow them to exempt 95%. He added that there are other ways to benefit from funds held in a holding company without distributing dividends or salaries, without detailing them. He criticized the deputies behind these proposals, including Eric Coquerel, for confusing revenue and profit. According to him, the measures targeting Bernard Arnault in particular would penalize small savers who are building wealth through a PEA or a regular securities account (CTO). He finally estimated that a reduction of the flat tax to 15%, or even 10%, would lead to the exit of hundreds of billions of euros from holding companies. #Fiscalité #Économie #Patrimoine (translated)

The author claimed that undeclared work was more widespread in the United States than in Italy, based on his own experience in Los Angeles and New York. He stated that domestic workers did not receive contributions even in wealthy areas and that mechanics, electricians, and programmers were paid in cash. He also mentioned restaurants in Brooklyn, including those in an upscale area. #LavoroNero #Economia #USA #USA #IT (translated)

Carine Knapen wrote that the criminal investigation against former prime minister and Member of the European Parliament Guy Verhofstadt had been ongoing since the beginning of this year and questioned why it was only being reported now. She also inquired about Didier Reynders, whom she claimed had turned up 20 million euros in cash. She made a derogatory comparison with an animal. https://t.co/QQPmBQln2G #politiek #justitie #schandaal (translated)

Instant Foot reported that Jules Koundé mentioned in a press conference his reduced playing time at FC Barcelona. The defender said he feels good physically and attributed the situation to Hansi Flick's choices as well as a previous season that he deemed below his standards. He added that he accepts this challenge and needs to regain his best sensations. #JulesKoundé #Barça #Football (translated)

The French Mileistes estimated that France risked bankruptcy if David Lisnard did not win the 2027 election. The account described Édouard Philippe's economic program as a "joke" and claimed that markets would panic in the event of a victory for Marine Le Pen. It also dismissed Jean-Luc Mélenchon and judged that the other candidates had very little chance of being elected. According to the account, a state bankruptcy would lead to that of French banks, a partial loss of savings deposited in banks, the collapse of the real estate market, and a significant increase in unemployment. It described the scenario as a crisis of unimaginable violence for most French people and presented the choice in 2027 as being between David Lisnard and chaos. #France2027 #Économie #Politique (translated)

Guill announced the return of the Guill Games, a Minecraft tournament that he presented as the largest French tournament organized on stage and in front of an audience. He stated that the competition would consist of 7 events, gather 1024 participants, and feature 10 finalists, who would compete at Lyon e-Sport in front of 600 spectators. Registrations were scheduled from October 3 to 16, online qualifications on October 31 and November 1, and the final on November 14 at 5 PM. Guill announced a cash prize of €6000 and directed people to the event's website for information and registrations. He expressed pride in this project and described the creation of an e-sport stage dedicated to Minecraft as a dream come true. #Minecraft #Esport #Tournoi (translated)

Transfery Piłkarskie announced the lineup of the Polish national team for the match against Romania: Bułka, Cash, Bednarek, Kiwior, Frankowski, Zieliński, Nowak, Zalewski, Szymański, Lewandowski and Świderski. https://t.co/88R7ZnjVAo #ReprezentacjaPolski #Mecz #Futbol (translated)

Maxim Röder wrote that he completely sold Applovin for a profit at the beginning of 2026. The stock then traded sideways for months and at times was significantly above his selling price, but is now around 41 percent below. The price trend shows him that evaluations of his decision changed depending on the stock's performance. For assessing Applovin, it is more important to understand the operational business and the valuation drivers, Röder wrote. The company has achieved a dominant position in mobile gaming with its AXON engine. Since the entire mobile gaming market is only growing organically in the low single-digit percentage range, gaming alone, in his opinion, can no longer enable sustainable hypergrowth rates. While the segment continues to generate high cash flows, it is not a sufficient growth driver for a hypergrowth valuation. The management is therefore trying to penetrate e-commerce and web advertising. However, this step is not proceeding linearly, Röder wrote. Outside of mobile gaming, Applovin lacks a natural moat; at the same time, training and computing costs are rising in the short term, and the market is skeptical. Analyst forecasts for medium-term revenue growth are already falling below 30 percent starting in 2027, he stated. Ultimately, it will be crucial whether the management is right with its e-commerce vision. #Aktienmarkt #Investieren #MobileGaming (translated)

Departure of Cristiano Ronaldo: why? I tried to provide a complete overview of the situation knowing that the federation did not want this, especially given its economic difficulties (and how much CR7 remains a cash machine...) #CristianoRonaldo #Football #Transferts (translated)

🔥 Patrick Sébastien, clear-minded. He did the Restos once. 92. When he left, he was invited to the banquet afterwards. He said no. Singing for those who are hungry, then going to gorge himself backstage: that bothers him. Like the Ethiopia concert. Catering in the green room. Everyone is eating. He goes to the restaurant next door. Cash. And he adds: many did the Restos, not the Téléthon. Ten times more audience. The good conscience, we put it on hold. The main thing: that it brings in money for those who are hungry. There you go. No posing. No grand speeches. Just a guy who refuses the feast after the lesson of generosity. Would you have gone to the banquet? @PatSebastien #Solidarité #Générosité #Engagement (translated)

Gli ultimi sondaggi SWG pubblicati ieri dal TG La7 dimostrano che certe dinamiche in atto nel campo largo non hanno veramente nulla a che fare con gli umori della gente. Il M5S è l’unico partito della coalizione a scendere. Dal 15,4% del 2022 al 12,8% di oggi, cifra peraltro molto teorica visto che i sondaggi delle europee del 2023 - ultimo dato nazionale certo disponibile - davano il Movimento intorno al 16% e alla fine non prese neanche il 10 e nei vari test regionali ha incassato percentuali da consiglio d’istituto. @GiuseppeConteIT, poi, l’uomo che si sente predestinato a Palazzo Chigi, quando premier lo è stato per due volte, ha così tanto convinto gli elettori da aver gentilmente accompagnato il partito dal 33% del 2018 al 17% delle Europee 2019, per poi proseguire la sua parabola discendente. Dove gli elettori avessero sentito puzza di truffa lo si capisce dai numeri. Il saldo negativo dei bonus edilizi tra uscite e maggiori entrate si aggirerà alla fine intorno ai 140 miliardi (con tanto di truffe miliardarie e almeno un 27% di investimenti “inutili”, perché i proprietari li avrebbero eseguiti comunque a proprie spese), cui vanno sommati altri quasi 11 miliardi che lo Stato ha dovuto spendere per compensare l’effetto distorsivo sui costi dei materiali per consentire la conclusione di opere pubbliche già avviate o programmate. E poi ancora “quota 100” (23 miliardi), reddito di cittadinanza (30 miliardi), cashback, lotterie, bonus bici e monopattini e varie altre trovate. Roba della quale in parte il circo del M5S ha prima tentato di disconoscere la paternità ed ha poi provato di rivendicare meriti, spedendo lo stesso Conte, @SPatuanelli ed altri straordinari giocolieri in tv ad inventare calcoli su moltiplicatori e fantomatici effetti sul PIL, puntualmente stroncati da Bankitalia e da praticamente tutti gli studi indipendenti. Si è poi cercato di spacciare Conte per l’eroe del PNRR, fino a quando @PaoloGentiloni non ha rivelato che a distribuire soldi era stato un algoritmo. Qualcuno cercò allora di arginare il danno dicendo che il merito dell’avvocato del popolo era stato quello di convincere l’Europa a fare debito comune, ma anche su quel punto le cronache riportano che a chiederlo erano stati 9 paesi e che la parte del leone la fece Macron e non Conte. Fu infatti il capo dell'Eliseo e non il premier italiano, alla fine, a conviencere Angela Merkel ad accettare l'emissione di Eurobond, superando così l'opposizione di tutti i paesi del nord Europa. Non a caso, l'accordo fu annunciato dallo stesso presidente francese e dalla cancelliera tedesca nel corso di una conferenza stampa in videocronferenza tenutasi il 18 maggio 2020. In questo concentrato di fallimenti elettorali, bugie e disastri contabili, al quale in un paese normale non sarebbe consentito di dirigere neanche una bocciofila, qualcuno vede il radioso futuro del campo largo. E parliamo di un leader il cui “programma” di insostenibili nuovi bonus, mancette e regalie ha convinto sì e no un terzo degli stessi iscritti del movimento, incluso il punto dirimente dello stop delle armi a Kyiv, che nonostante la martellante propaganda di Travaglio (che, da De Magistris a Ingroia, di fallimenti elettorali è più grande certificatore), è stato tra i punti meno votati delle decine di quesiti proposti sulla piattaforma, ma che lui spaccia comunque per linea rossa invalicabile da imporre all’intera coalizione. I risultati elettorali impietosi, la matematica dei conti, l’illogica posizione in politica estera e un briciolo di consapevolezza dei propri limiti dovrebbero, però forse indurre il Cetto la Qualunque di Volturara Appula a fare quello che finora è riuscito solo a suggerire assai avventatamente a chi, a differenza sua, di vittorie da rivendicare ne ha: prendere atto della realtà sul campo e negoziare. #PoliticaItaliana #Elezioni2023 #Movimento5Stelle