# Team Jorge > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Team_Jorge > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Team_Jorge.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Team_Jorge > Source revision: 1319586803 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Israeli cyber-espionage and disinformation firm}} {{Use DMY dates|date=February 2023}} {{Infobox organization | name = Team Jorge | image = | caption = | formation = c. 2015 | founder = [Tal Hanan](/source/Tal_Hanan) | type = Private cyber-espionage and disinformation firm | headquarters = Israel | services = Election interference, hacking, disinformation campaigns | key_people = Tal Hanan ("Jorge") | products = Advanced Impact Media Solutions (Aims) }} '''Team Jorge''' is the name given to an outfit of [Israel](/source/Israel)i contractors specialized in the use of malign cyber activities including hacking, sabotage, and bot farm-run social media disinformation campaigns to manipulate the outcomes of elections.{{Cite news |last1=Benjakob |first1=Omer |last2=Megiddo |first2=Gur |date=2023-02-15 |title=Hacking, Extortion, Election Interference: These Are the Tools Used by Israel's Agents of Chaos and Manipulation |language=en |work=Haaretz |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/security-aviation/2023-02-15/ty-article-magazine/.premium/hacking-extortion-election-interference-the-toolkit-of-israels-agents-of-chaos/00000186-4aa6-d933-af9e-cbe7aa9c0000 |access-date=2023-02-17}} One of the organization's primary tools is a software package called '''Advanced Impact Media Solutions''', or '''Aims'''. The group was exposed in February 2023 after an award-winning{{Cite web |title=Radio France / La Cellule d'investigation récompensée par un Online Journalism Award |url=https://www.radiofrance.com/presse/radio-france-la-cellule-dinvestigation-recompensee-par-un-online-journalism-award |access-date=2023-09-02 |website=Radio France |language=fr}} undercover operation by journalists from Israel and France as part of a consortium of investigative journalists coordinated by [Forbidden Stories](/source/Forbidden_Stories).{{Cite news |last1=Leloup |first1=Damien |last2=Reynaud |first2=Florian |date=2023-02-16 |title=Les réseaux sociaux, pierre angulaire des opérations d'influence et d'intoxication |language=fr |work=Le Monde.fr |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/pixels/article/2023/02/16/les-reseaux-sociaux-pierre-angulaire-des-operations-d-influence-et-d-intoxication_6161995_4408996.html |access-date=2023-02-17}}{{Cite news |last=Kirchgaessner |first=Stephanie |date=2023-02-15 |title=How undercover reporters caught 'Team Jorge' disinformation operatives on camera |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/15/disinformation-hacking-operative-team-jorge-tal-hanan |access-date=2023-02-17 |issn=0261-3077}} The organization has been active since at least 2015 and boasts of having manipulated 33 presidential elections worldwide, many of them in Africa, and in 27 cases with successful results. Their activities were revealed following a 2022 [sting operation](/source/sting_operation) in [Tel Aviv](/source/Tel_Aviv), carried out by three undercover journalists, who posed as prospective clients and filmed their interactions with [Tal Hanan](/source/Tal_Hanan){{snd}}the group's leader and former [Israeli special forces](/source/Special_forces_of_Israel) operative{{snd}}in which he explained the inner workings of the organization.{{Cite web |first1=Stephanie |last1=Kirchgaessner |first2=Manisha |last2=Ganguly |author-link2=Manisha Ganguly |first3=David |last3=Pegg |first4=Carole |last4=Cadwalladr|author-link4= Carole Cadwalladr|first5=Jason |last5=Burke|author-link5= Jason Burke |date=2023-02-15 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/15/revealed-disinformation-team-jorge-claim-meddling-elections-tal-hanan |title=Revealed: the hacking and disinformation team meddling in elections |website=[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian) |access-date=2023-02-17}} Tal Hanan used the pseudonym "Jorge" when working with the hacking and disinformation group, which inspired the Team Jorge name. ==Background== According to Tal Hanan, the group's leader, Team Jorge has existed for more than two decades and has been engaged in [propaganda](/source/propaganda) and [disinformation](/source/disinformation) activities in more than 30 countries. However, its first documented activity dates to 2015. Their services have been available to government intelligence agencies, political campaigns, and private companies that wished to covertly manipulate public opinion. One of the organization's primary tools is a software package called Advanced Impact Media Solutions, or Aims. The software automates centralized control of thousands of [fake social media profiles](/source/Sock_puppet_account) on [Twitter](/source/Twitter), [LinkedIn](/source/LinkedIn), [Facebook](/source/Facebook), [Telegram](/source/Telegram_(software)), [TikTok](/source/TikTok) and others. A number of these profiles also have [Amazon](/source/Amazon_(company)) and [Airbnb](/source/Airbnb) accounts, along with credit cards and [Bitcoin wallet](/source/Bitcoin_wallet)s.{{cite web |last1=Ganguly |first1=Manisha|author-link1=Manisha Ganguly |title='Aims': the software for hire that can control 30,000 fake online profiles |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/15/aims-software-avatars-team-jorge-disinformation-fake-profiles |website=The Guardian |access-date=17 February 2023 |date=February 14, 2023}} The group also employs [hacking techniques](/source/Security_hacker) to [brute force](/source/brute-force_attack) accounts of potential victims. ==Investigation and exposure== Team Jorge's activities were revealed after a sting operation by three undercover journalists, Gur Megiddo of ''[TheMarker](/source/TheMarker)'', Frédéric Métézeau of [Radio France](/source/Radio_France) and Omer Benjakob of ''[Haaretz](/source/Haaretz)'',{{cite news |last1=Kirchgaessner |first1=Stephanie |date=15 February 2023|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/15/disinformation-hacking-operative-team-jorge-tal-hanan |title=How undercover reporters caught 'Team Jorge' disinformation operatives on camera |newspaper=[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian) |issn=0261-3077}} posing as prospective clients filmed interactions with [Tal Hanan](/source/Tal_Hanan) in Tel Aviv in 2022 in which he explained the inner workings of the organization. To test Team Jorge's abilities, the journalists tasked it with a disinformation campaign called #RIP_Emmanuel, spreading a [death hoax](/source/death_hoax) about social media personality [Emmanuel the emu](/source/Emmanuel_the_emu). The hashtag was used in over 1,300 tweets, and a tweet from Emmanuel's owner saying he was not dead received millions of views. In the conversations, Hanan boasted of having interfered in 33 presidential-level campaigns, 27 of which had positive results for the faction that hired them. Hanan claimed responsibility for a 2019 cyberattack against the central elections committee of Indonesia made to look like it had come from China for political reasons. Media outlets including Bloomberg reported on the attack in March 2019, noting the probable "Chinese-Russian" origin of the interference, while an investigation by ''The Guardian'' noted that it was more likely the work of other hackers leaving a false trail. He also claimed that Team Jorge interfered in the [2014 Catalan independence referendum](/source/2014_Catalan_independence_referendum), hacked the emails of the chief-of-staff of [Trinidad and Tobago](/source/Trinidad_and_Tobago) and leaked a document to cause a political crisis, passed false information to an ABC journalist to influence the [2012 Venezuelan presidential election](/source/2012_Venezuelan_presidential_election) against former president [Hugo Chávez](/source/Hugo_Ch%C3%A1vez), ran a 2022 campaign claiming the [Polisario Front](/source/Polisario_Front) has ties to Hezbollah and Iran, and another 2022 campaign defaming [Ali bin Fetais Al-Marri](/source/Ali_bin_Fetais_Al-Marri), the UN envoy for combating corruption.{{Cite news |last1=Benjakob |first1=Omer |last2=Megiddo |first2=Gur |title=Why an Israeli Black Ops Team Had to Kill Emmanuel the Emu |language=en |work=Haaretz |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/security-aviation/2023-02-16/ty-article-magazine/.premium/why-an-israeli-black-ops-team-had-to-kill-emmanuel-the-emu/00000186-4ab1-d603-a7bf-ceb7706e0000 |access-date=2023-02-17}} The wider investigation involved journalists from a total 30 outlets, coordinated by [Forbidden Stories](/source/Forbidden_Stories), and included ''[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian)'', ''[Der Spiegel](/source/Der_Spiegel)'', ''[Die Zeit](/source/Die_Zeit)'', ''[Le Monde](/source/Le_Monde)'', the [Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project](/source/Organized_Crime_and_Corruption_Reporting_Project) (OCCRP), ''[El País](/source/El_Pa%C3%ADs)'', and other media organizations in France, Germany, Indonesia, Israel, Kenya, Spain, Tanzania, and the United States. The global investigation, dubbed Story Killers,{{Cite web |title=Story Killers |url=https://forbiddenstories.org/case/story-killers/ |access-date=2023-09-02 |website=forbiddenstories.org |language=en-US}} was awarded the 2023 Excellence in Collaboration and Partnerships prize by the Online News Association (ONA).{{Cite web |last=Rabarison |first=Karolle |date=2023-08-27 |title=ONA announces winners in the 2023 Online Journalism Awards |url=https://awards.journalists.org/2023/08/27/ona-announces-winners-in-the-2023-online-journalism-awards/ |access-date=2023-09-02 |website=Online Journalism Awards |language=en-US}} Hanan attended meetings involving [Cambridge Analytica](/source/Cambridge_Analytica) as early as 2014.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/18/cambridge-analytica-staff-leaked-emails-team-jorge-nigeria-election-sam-patten-tal-hanan |title=Revealed: the US adviser who tried to swing Nigeria's 2015 election |first1=Carole |last1=Cadwalladr |author-link1= Carole Cadwalladr|first2=Stephanie |last2=Kirchgaessner |date=18 February 2023 |work=[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian)}} Emails leaked to ''The Guardian'' show that Team Jorge was then in contact with Cambridge Analytica in 2015 and 2017 over political campaigns in Africa and South America.{{Cite news |last1=Megiddo |first1=Gur |last2=Benjakob |first2=Omer |title=Cambridge Analytica's Israeli Black Ops Team – Exposed at Last |language=en |work=Haaretz |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/security-aviation/2023-02-15/ty-article-magazine/.premium/cambridge-analyticas-israeli-black-ops-team-exposed-at-last/00000186-4b78-da04-a186-7bfa41fe0000 |access-date=2023-02-17}} The two organizations worked to manipulate the [2015 Nigerian election](/source/2015_Nigerian_general_election). The plan was to help get [Goodluck Jonathan](/source/Goodluck_Jonathan) re-elected by discrediting [Muhammadu Buhari](/source/Muhammadu_Buhari), but the campaign was unsuccessful.{{cite news |last1=Kirchgaessner |first1=Stephanie |last2=Cadwalladr |first2=Carole |author-link2= Carole Cadwalladr |last3=Lewis |first3=Paul |author-link3= Paul Lewis (journalist)|last4=Burke |first4=Jason |author-link4= Jason Burke |access-date=2023-02-16 |title=Dark arts of politics: how 'Team Jorge' and Cambridge Analytica meddled in Nigerian election |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/16/team-jorge-and-cambridge-analytica-meddled-in-nigeria-election-emails-reveal |newspaper=[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian) |date=16 February 2023 |issn=0261-3077}} During the undercover meeting with journalists in 2022, Hanan showcased his ability to hack into the Telegram account of [Dennis Itumbi](/source/Dennis_Itumbi), a digital strategist for [William Ruto](/source/William_Ruto) during the [2022 Kenyan general election](/source/2022_Kenyan_general_election).{{cite web |last1=Megiddo |first1=Gur |last2=Benjakob |first2=Omer |date=2022-11-16 |title=The people who kill the truth |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/security-aviation/2022-11-16/ty-article-static-ext/the-israelis-destabilizing-democracy-and-disrupting-elections-worldwide/00000186-461e-d80f-abff-6e9e08b10000 |access-date=2023-02-15 |website=[Haaretz](/source/Haaretz)}} Itumbi subsequently confirmed to ''[The Star](/source/The_Star_(Kenya))'' that his Telegram account had been infiltrated, and that he noticed "increased activity" in the run-up to the election.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/17/ruto-ally-says-telegram-account-was-hacked-before-kenyan-election |title=Ruto ally says Telegram account was hacked before Kenyan election |first1=Stephanie |last1=Kirchgaessner |first2=Jason |last2=Burke|author-link2= Jason Burke |first3=Caroline |last3=Kimeu |date=17 February 2023 |newspaper=[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian) |issn=0261-3077}} ==Reactions== Métézeau of Radio France and ''[Le Monde](/source/Le_Monde)'' found that Team Jorge created various segments that {{ill|Rachid M'Barki|fr}}, a French television presenter for [BFM TV](/source/BFM_TV), had broadcast without editor approval, possibly on behalf of foreign governments. He was suspended in January 2023, during an inquiry by international investigative reporting teams.{{cite news |access-date=2023-02-15 |title=#StoryKillers: The links between Israel-based 'Team Jorge' and a French TV presenter who aired fake news |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/en/pixels/article/2023/02/15/storykillers-the-links-between-israel-based-team-jorge-and-a-french-tv-presenter-who-aired-fake-news_6015851_13.html |first1=Damien |last1=Leloup |first2=Florian |last2=Reynaud |date=15 February 2023 |newspaper=[Le Monde](/source/Le_Monde)}} It was suggested to undercover reporters by a member of Team Jorge that the group was behind a BFM TV news report that discussed the effect of [sanctions](/source/International_sanctions_during_the_Russo-Ukrainian_War) against [Russian oligarchs](/source/Russian_oligarchs) on [Monaco](/source/Monaco)'s luxury yacht industry.{{cite news |first1=Manisha |last1=Ganguly|author-link1=Manisha Ganguly |first2=David |last2=Conn |access-date=2023-02-16 |title=French broadcaster BFMTV suspends presenter amid disinformation scandal |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/15/french-broadcaster-bfmtv-suspends-presenter-disinformation-scandal-rachid-mbarki |newspaper=[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian) |date=15 February 2023 |issn=0261-3077}} It was claimed that 10,000 jobs were at risk, but this was without basis.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64677232 |title=BFM journalist Rachid M'Barki suspended in scandal linked to disinformation firm |first=Hugh |last=Schofield |author-link= Hugh Schofield|date=19 February 2023}} It was one of several reports aired late at night by M'Barki without the knowledge of the editorial team, planted by Team Jorge as "news for hire" and subsequently picked up on social media by the team's bots. On 16 February, India's [Congress Party](/source/Indian_National_Congress) demanded a probe into the possible involvement or interference of Team Jorge in Indian elections.{{cite news |url=https://thewire.in/politics/congress-demands-probe-into-whether-team-gorge-operates-in-india |title=Congress Demands Probe Into Whether 'Team Jorge' Operates in India |work=The Wire}}{{cite news |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/congress-seeks-probe-into-alleged-use-of-israeli-firm-team-jorge-in-elections-in-india-480399 |title=Congress seeks probe into alleged use of Israeli firm 'Team Jorge' in elections in India |work=The Tribune}} Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera and former journalist and now Congress social media head [Supriya Shrinate](/source/Supriya_Shrinate) linked the revelations about possible interference in India with a wider pattern of online disinformation and democratic and electoral abuse in the country.{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/congress-calls-out-team-jorge-mirror-image/cid/1917049 |title=Congress calls out Team Jorge 'mirror image' |first=Sanjay K. |last=Jha |date=17 February 2023 |work=The Telegraph, India}} ==See also== * [Black Cube](/source/Black_Cube) * [Internet Research Agency](/source/Internet_Research_Agency) * [NSO Group](/source/NSO_Group) ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== * [https://forbiddenstories.org/kiosk/story-killers/ 'Story Killers' series of articles. Forbidden Stories.] {{Disinformation}} Category:Internet manipulation and propaganda Category:Cyberwarfare Category:Disinformation operations Category:Psychological warfare Category:Public relations techniques Category:Psychological warfare techniques Category:Propaganda techniques by medium Category:Internet governance Category:Internet trolling Category:2023 in Israeli politics Category:2023 controversies --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Team Jorge](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Team_Jorge) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Team_Jorge?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.