Violent Indian Separatists Using Twitter Bots
Recent research from Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) found that pro-Khalistani groups are using Twitter bots to promote violence and anti-India propaganda on social media platforms.
And as the conflict continues between the Indian government and Sikh separatists, backers of the separatist ideology are using multiple networks of linked accounts to trend tweets that include videos and calls for action simultaneously.
A network of bots run by supporters of the pro-Khalistan Sikhs for Justice and virtual activists in Pakistan appear to have teamed up to foment attacks inside India and abroad following after New Delhi had launched a manhunt to nab separatist fugitive Amritpal Singh.
The Sikh separatist movement has found the most traction in the farming population of the Indian Punjab state.
Despite India recently revoking Internet access to the Punjab state, it is suspected that separatists are receiving assistance from the government of Pakistan.
The Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) has identified over 359 active accounts projecting separatist rhetoric since the new year. Networks of 20 to 50 accounts were used to tweet the same message multiple times, each tagging new journalists and public figures to boost exposure. The NCRI is concerned that escalations of online rhetoric directly lead to increased vandalism and violence worldwide.
Approximately 20 percent of networked accounts are labeled as Pakistani, and many messages from the accounts mention that Sikhs should be thankful for Pakistani support. These activities have increased exponentially since the Punjab Police and Central Agencies started a massive crackdown on pro-Khalistani separatist leader Amritpal Singh. the report says.
The activity on social media has been found to revolve around the violent protests outside Indian consulates in San Francisco and other cities worldwide and assaults on Indian officials and journalists during these protests.
Twitter has suspended various accounts linked to the Khalistani campaign, but the slimmed security staff struggles to defend against growing links between online rhetoric and real-world violence.
OpIndia: Oodaloop; Washington Post: Indian Narrative: Reddit: Flipboard:
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