These are some of the figures cited by the German Foreign Ministry in connection with a Russian disinformation campaign that was first detected in 2022, after Russia invaded Ukraine.
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Russia → cite → Ukraine
Known as Doppelgänger, the operation aimed to amplify pro-Russian narratives on social media platforms in countries like Germany.
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operation → know → Germany
On some days, thousands of the accounts were active, posting more than once per second in a coordinated manner, the ministry said in a 2024 report.
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ministry → post → report
This campaign underscores just how important it is for users to verify the authenticity of social media accounts and identify when content is being published or amplified by bots and trolls.
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content → underscore → bots
But first, what’s the difference between a bot and a troll?
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difference → ’ → bot
And how can you spot them?
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you → spot → them
DW Fact check offers tips to help you navigate today's information landscape.
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you → offer → landscape
Fake accounts are social media profiles that conceal their true identity.
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that → conceal → identity
Some may pretend to be ordinary users; others can impersonate politicians, institutions or journalists.
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others → pretend → politicians
Not all fake accounts have malicious intent.
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accounts → have → intent
Some people may use pseudonyms to protect their identity or for security reasons.
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people → use → reasons
Activists or whistleblowers may use fake accounts to investigate sensitive issues.
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Activists → use → issues
Bots, short for robots, tirelessly comment on posts, share content, or artificially stoke online debate on marginal or otherwise overlooked topics.
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Bots → comment → topics
Sometimes, they’re entirely innocent, but sometimes they’re intent is harmful.
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intent → ’re → ?
Good bots may automatically share news or weather forecasts, as well as earthquake alerts and satellite images on social media.
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bots → share → media
Bad bots, in contrast, are designed to imitate genuine human activity to advance a certain agenda.
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bots → design → agenda
Depending on the algorithm, such computer programs may compose and publish social media posts or comments, follow others, or even send out friendship requests.
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programs → depend → requests
Bad bots can distort reality by amplifying certain political opinions on social media platforms and drawing artificial attention to certain issues.
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bots → distort → issues
Trolls, on the other hand, are real human beings who exhibit destructive and hyperactive online behavior.
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who → exhibit → behavior
Some are even paid to harass certain public figures or media organizations as part of so-called troll factories or farms.
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Some → pay → factories
EUvsDisinfo, a project by the European External Action Service to counter disinformation, found that the agency had disseminated falsehoods and pro-Kremlin messages in multiple languages during various European and US election campaigns and in the lead-up to several referenda.
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agency → counter → referenda
How can you spot them?
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you → spot → them
Many of the fake accounts, bots and trolls may disappear before you even notice them.
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you → disappear → them
At least in Europe, social media platforms are required under the Digital Services Act (DSA) to release transparency reports, including how much content they delete.
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they → require → content
In the last three months of 2025, for instance, Metareported taking action on 1.1 billion accounts.
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Metareported → take → accounts
But sometimes accounts appear faster than platforms can take action.
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platforms → appear → action
So here are some concrete tips than can help you identify them.
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you → help → them
Identity: Check the account name, profile picture and handle
Genuine accounts tend to have a consistent digital identity.
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accounts → check → identity
Their name, profile picture, bio and content generally tend to support the same story about who’s behind the account.
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who → tend → account
Be cautious if this does not appear to be the case.
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this → appear → ?
Potential red flags include:
- A generic, stock-style or AI-generated profile picture
- A username containing a long string of seemingly random characters and numbers
- An account that was created recently and suddenly became very active
- A generic bio, such as “Truth Seeker” or “Patriot”, with little or no personal information
Beyond this, verify the information through official channels.
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that → include → channels
Public figures typically have a traceable online presence.
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figures → have → presence
Look for links to official websites and organizations they work for.
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they → look → websites
Check whether the account’s name, profile picture, personal information and handle are consistent with information published elsewhere.
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name → check → information
Use the reverse image search method (for example on Google Lensor TinEye) to find out whether the picture used in the profile depicts someone else than claimed, or if the image has surfaced elsewhere online.
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image → use → someone
While a blue check mark was once primarily used to confirm the identity of public figures and organizations, some platforms now allow users to buy them.
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users → use → them
Behavior: Review what the account posts
Fake accounts, bots and troll accounts often behave differently from ordinary users.
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accounts → review → users
Genuine users typically interact with others, discuss several topics and display natural patterns of activity that are often connected to their interests, profession or geographical location.
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that → interact → interests
A Russian pensioner sharing photos from what she claims are Parisian anti-vaccination protests?
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she → share → photos
Neither is impossible, but both may warrant closer scrutiny.
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both → warrant → scrutiny
…and 14 more, not listed.
The Aporia
