How fake online accounts were used in Ugandan politics - BBC Trending podcast, BBC World Service

BBC Trending

2024-03-04

18 分钟
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A BBC investigation has uncovered a network of fake social media accounts seemingly working together to promote the Ugandan ...
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  • It's October 2017.

  • At a luxury resort in the outskirts of the Ugandan capital Kampala.

  • An international conference is taking place.

  • The room is packed.

  • Top experts in infectious diseases sitting side by side with health ministers from around the world.

  • And Uganda's long serving president Yoweri Museveni is there to welcome them.

  • It is now my honor to declare this fourth annual high level meeting on global health security agenda officially opened.

  • I thank you all.

  • It's not every day you get to see the Ugandan president in the flesh.

  • So one of the attendees, a long dark haired woman wearing glasses, approaches him for a selfie.

  • President Museveni is happy to oblige.

  • Photographers are there too, and they capture the moment.

  • This young broad, smiling woman raises her phone for a selfie with the president.

  • She doesn't know it yet, but that picture will be used to create a fake online Persona.

  • The likeable face of a social media account bent on supporting the long serving Ugandan president.

  • He will be remembered as a democratic leader bent on promoting a controversial multi billion dollar pipeline project.

  • Oil drilling is on bent on pushing back against critics at home and abroad.

  • You will die.

  • This is BBC trending, where this season we're investigating how power is being used and misused on social media.

  • In this episode we head to Ugand to expose a sprawling network of fake social media accounts.