As the parliamentary elections approach, newly created Facebook pages have emerged, spreading propaganda and defamatory content against political parties through various forms of visual manipulation. Among these posts are altered videos, some of which have been flagged as false information on Facebook.
In August, “Myth Detector” analyzed four such Facebook pages, which share the following characteristics:
- The pages were created between May and August 2024.
- The pages primarily publish short videos, known as Reels, aiming to discredit the opposition.
- Three out of the four pages focus exclusively on discrediting the opposition, while one targets both the opposition and the ruling party.
- The Facebook page “Mikheil Bidzinauri” is connected to Giorgi Gakharia’s party and primarily targets “Lelo.”
- Two of the Facebook pages (“Mikheil Bidzinauri” and “Erovnoba Ghirsebis Gareshe”) feature sponsored posts.
| Facebook Page | Creation Date | Target |
| Mikheil Bidzinauri
|
5 August, 2024 | “Georgian Dream”, Opposition (Primarily the “Lelo” party) |
Realoba [Reality] |
27 May, 2024 | Opposition parties |
Brdzeni Kritikosi [Wise Critic] |
27 May, 2024 | Opposition parties |
Erovneba Girsebis Gareshe [Nationality without Dignity] |
26 August, 2024 (As of September 1, the page is deactivated) | “Lelo” party |
About “Mikheil Bidzinauri”
The Facebook page “Mikheil Bidzinauri” was created on August 5th, and its targets include Mikheil Saakashvili, Bidzina Ivanishvili, the “Lelo for Georgia” party, and its coalition partners.
The page has sponsored posts against both the ruling party and the opposition. As of August 30th, the Facebook Ad Library lists seven sponsored posts, each funded with up to $100.
Notably, one of the sponsored posts included a video from the “Lelo for Georgia” party, where party members sing the song “Gaighime” [Smile] with Merab Sepashvili. However, the version by the “Mikheil Bidzinauri” page replaces the audio with the song “Misha Magaria,” which “Myth Detector” flagged as altered under Facebook’s third-party fact-checking program.
Using the information provided in the Ads Library, it was determined that the page is managed by two individuals linked to the “For Georgia” party. The advertiser listed is the website newsweek.ge, registered on July 29th under the name Ana Sakhokia, with an email address ([email protected]).
Verification of the email address ([email protected]) confirms that it belongs to Ana Sakhokia, who, according to publicly available data, is involved in party activities for “For Georgia,” including events organized under its Senaki branch (1, 2).
Along with the email, we also checked the phone number provided for placing the advertisement. In the telephone database, this number is registered under the name Tornike Tevdorashvili. A person with this name also appears in a video of Gakharia’s party’s youth organization and was featured as a student member of the “For Georgia” party in the public broadcaster’s program “Real Space.”
As for the website address newsweek.ge, which is listed on the Facebook page, since its registration, only one article has been published on the site, covering Mamuka Khazaradze’s loss in an arbitration case related to Anaklia.
“Reality” and “The Wise Critic”
The anti-opposition Facebook pages “Reality” and “The Wise Critic” were both created on May 27th. Additionally, identical videos shared by these pages suggest coordination between them.
Examples of identical posts
These Facebook pages, in addition to publishing videos discrediting opposition parties, also share identical manipulated videos and gendered disinformation, which “Myth Detector” flagged as altered under Facebook’s third-party fact-checking program.
The Facebook page “Reality” also posted an altered video of politicians Giga Bokeria and Giorgi Akhalaia, falsely claiming they named their new party “Federasts.”
The Facebook pages “The Wise Critic” and “Reality” discredit opposition politicians using video collages, with no posts targeting the ruling party. It is also notable that, in addition to manipulations and archival statements from politicians, the videos include offensive and uncensored content, such as the posts published on August 30th about Giorgi Vashadze, where audio is overlaid on footage of Vashadze, saying: “I couldn’t sleep until I jer*ed off, and when I did, I dreamed of stretching my d**k.”
The research also revealed that identical videos published by the two above-mentioned Facebook pages are also posted by the Facebook account “Mikheil Ganubazhebeli,” which has long been involved in discrediting journalists critical of both the opposition and the government. The timing of some video posts confirms that these Facebook pages and the account are connected:
Nationality without Dignity
The Facebook page “Nationality without Dignity” was created on August 26th and, as of now, has only two identical posts with the inscription “Millionaires who became rich in the 90s,” along with a profile picture of Ilia Chavchavadze.
Unlike the previous three pages, as of August 30th, “Nationality without Dignity” does not publish Reels. The page features a caricature of the “Lelo for Georgia” party leaders Badri Japaridze and Mamuka Khazaradze, which is sponsored. However, the page violates political advertising rules by not disclosing information about the advertiser.
