Netanyahu Faces Election Lawsuit Over Alleged 'Bot' Network

The Movement for Freedom of Information has filed a petition with the Central Elections Committee against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Likud party, alleging the orchestrated use of paid "bots" on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter). The organization claims these fictitious accounts are used to amplify Netanyahu's messages and that if this activity is indeed paid, it constitutes illegal, undisclosed paid election propaganda under Israeli law.

The petition, based on data collected by the network monitoring company Scooper between July and September, asserts that Netanyahu's account gained approximately 194,000 new followers in just two months, at a rate of 3,000 to 5,000 per day. In one week in August, his account reportedly added 35,000 followers. This surge is contrasted with significantly lower follower gains for other party leaders during the same period, including Naftali Bennett (162), Avigdor Lieberman (378), Bezalel Smotrich (1,829), Yair Golan (1,885), Gadi Eisenkot (4,800), and Itamar Ben-Gvir (7,373).

Further evidence cited in the petition suggests a lack of authenticity among these new followers. A review of Netanyahu's 1,000 most recent followers on September 20 revealed that about 75% of the accounts were created within the preceding 24 hours. Roughly half lacked profile pictures that appeared genuine, and most had no prior posts. Additionally, engagement patterns are questioned, with over 100 shares of Netanyahu's tweets occurring within minutes of posting, 55% to 75% of which originated from accounts located outside Israel, despite the tweets being in Hebrew and concerning domestic Israeli issues.

The Movement for Freedom of Information is requesting that the Central Elections Committee chairman compel Netanyahu and the Likud to submit a sworn affidavit from a senior party official confirming compliance with disclosure laws for all activity on Netanyahu's pages, including that conducted by third-party vendors. They also seek the removal of posts from un-disclosed paid fictitious accounts and a directive for future transparency regarding paid bot usage.

Attorney Orr Sadan of the Movement for Freedom of Information stated that the findings indicate a significant scale of fictitious accounts amplifying the Prime Minister's messages. He argued that such paid activity, creating an illusion of popular support, undermines the transparency essential for public discourse and democratic principles. This petition follows other recent reports concerning the Prime Minister.