Morocco Battles Wave of Fake News Targeting Institutions

Social media platforms are currently grappling with a surge of fake news and organized attacks aimed at Morocco and its security institutions. Some online accounts are engaging in a hybrid warfare, using propaganda and misinformation to influence public opinion. This is amplified by the rapid spread of content, the ease with which images and clips can be shared out of context, and the difficulty users face in immediate verification.

Digital disinformation has evolved beyond fabricating entire stories. It now employs more deceptive methods, such as using images from different events, relocating them to other countries, or altering their timestamps. These images are often accompanied by captions that lead viewers to interpretations unrelated to their original context. Consequently, images can become more dangerous than text, spreading quickly and leaving a direct impact before users can verify their authenticity.

In one instance, a TikToker named Hicham Girando, after being implicated by the "Atlas Hackers" group in cross-border crimes, allegedly escalated his dissemination of false content. He focused on the national security institution, attempting to link it to unrelated events and images. Girando recently shared a photo of a judicial official visiting the prisons and reintegration administration during a national event. He falsely claimed it was an award ceremony by the security and intelligence services. However, details within the photo itself, such as the uniforms of the visible staff and the nature of the event organized by the prisons administration, contradicted his narrative.

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Digital disinformation has evolved beyond fabricating entire stories. It now employs more deceptive methods, such as using images from different events, relocating them to other countries, or altering their timestamps.

Despite the uniforms clearly belonging to prison staff and the event being organized by the prisons and reintegration administration, Girando distorted the photo's background and implicated security forces. This was a clear attempt to defame the security and intelligence agencies and mislead viewers into believing the image depicted a different event. Many social media users recognized the disinformation and pointed out the inconsistencies. They noted that basic verification would have revealed the organizing institution, highlighting that propaganda, however fast-spreading, can be exposed with minimal user vigilance.

The danger of such content lies not only in its inaccuracy but also in the persistent repetition and presentation of false information as complete truth. Repeated misinformation can gain a semblance of credibility for some recipients, especially when paired with real images whose context has been manipulated or assigned meanings they do not inherently possess. Similarly, creators of propaganda manipulated a photo of a member of the auxiliary forces guarding a border, presenting him as a police officer to target the General Directorate of National Security and its director. The green uniform and the location clearly indicated the auxiliary forces, not the police.

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The danger of such content lies not only in its inaccuracy but also in the persistent repetition and presentation of false information as complete truth.