The content in these examples is not novel. However, the accounts that posted them are inauthentic.
CNA also found 44 bots that were active in both the posts of four retiring PAP politicians as well as the earlier posts on WP’s Mr Harpreet Singh.
Two of these bot accounts had changed their Facebook profile name in the process.
An account appearing as “Jamal Bashir” in the earlier posts on Mr Singh later altered its name to “Vince Varun” when commenting on the PAP retirements. Another account “Teck Beng Tan” was shortened to “Tan TB”.
These attempts show an effort to avoid detection by other genuine Facebook users, but CNA was able to track these inauthentic accounts despite their evasion techniques.
Apart from bot activities linked to Facebook posts, CNA also discovered several accounts on TikTok that produce anti-establishment content, including some that produce content targeting Law and Home Minister K Shanmugam.
These accounts typically employ short-form videos showing image macros with AI-generated voice-overs that repeat highly partisan remarks in a bite-sized format designed to be shared.
It is not known what the origin of these accounts are, or whether the owner of these accounts are located in Singapore.
TELLTALE SIGNS OF INAUTHENTICITY AND BOT BEHAVIOUR
Some telltale signs of inauthentic accounts are: They were recently created, have few connections, and their posts mainly comprise a single type of content, such as those that attack a political party and its candidates. They also lack any original posts, such as photos of someone’s day, that indicate the account is a real person.
Bots, on the other hand, are multiple fake accounts managed by individuals, which also suggest a more coordinated attempt to spread a certain messaging on the platform.
They are also known to make repeated comments or replies, similar to techniques used by spammers. Sometimes, multiple fake accounts end up posting similar comments, albeit with slight variations to avoid detection.
Both types of behaviour run afoul of Facebook’s community standards.
CNA has sought comment from Meta, which owns Facebook.
