MADISON - Foreign actors are using social media to target Native American populations in an effort to create disruption and sow division ahead of the 2020 election, according to preliminary research from cyber reconnaissance company GroupSense.
Researchers from GroupSense say they have identified the development of Twitter and Facebook profiles that use Native imagery and hashtags referencing, among other things, Wisconsin tribes and Native concerns to disseminate unrelated messages.
The suspicious accounts often attempt to cause disruption by exploiting tensions between Native nations and the U.S. government, according to Amy Ruckes, lead researcher on the project. Other times, they use Native imagery to push anti-immigration messaging.
One post from a Twitter account created in 2019 touches on what the researchers label a "far-right" message.