MAGA trolls outed as foreigners vanish from X after brutal update (www.thedailybeast.com)

submitted 3 weeks ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/politics@lemmy.world

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Many of the MAGA influencers outed as living in countries like Nigeria and Bangladesh have since vanished from X.

The users, who had over a million followers between them, had their country of origin exposed over the weekend as part of a new X feature that now shows where accounts were created and how their owners downloaded the social platform’s app.

Four prominent accounts unmasked by the feature—DarkMAGA, MagaScope, WilliamAlbrech, and IvankaNews_—now show as being “suspended” for violating “X rules,” though it is unclear which. X’s website says it bars users who pretend to be someone they are not—something all the accounts appear to be guilty of.

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[-] 2piradians@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago

Maybe try not being followers who allow ourselves to be influenced. I think if you had described this social media situation to average people 20 years ago most would have seen it as dystopian, evil even. But because it happened so gradually it gained acceptance.

I guess what I'm saying is we should get the hell rid of it all so eventually public opinion won't be swayed by cheap foreign labor, bots, and people who just want to burn it all down.

But we won't because too many think all this is better than the world before it existed.

/rant

[-] IcedRaktajino@startrek.website 1 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

I guess what I'm saying is we should get the hell rid of it all so eventually public opinion won't be swayed by cheap foreign labor, bots, and people who just want to burn it all down.

I've blocked so many accounts on here that are clearly not Americans just straight up trying to incite shit in US news / politics communities. I don't know what's worse: the number of upvotes those get or how transparent they are.

[-] rimu@piefed.social 1 points 2 weeks ago

So you're saying Lemmy should show the country of accounts too?

[-] Augustiner@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

Always feel conflicted blocking guys like this… I wanna keep seeing them so I can downvote, but they also are just fucking annoying and toxic.

[-] billwashere@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago

Did these X admins not realize the fallout or was there some other intended purpose?

I can smell the outrage from here.

[-] expatriado@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago

to later reappear with different username

[-] jdredbeard@lemmy.world 0 points 2 weeks ago

This will 100% happen

[-] expatriado@lemmy.world 0 points 2 weeks ago

your 9 days old account makes me think you're probably familiar with the technique

[-] SoftestSapphic@lemmy.world -2 points 2 weeks ago

You are fucking disgusting and pathetic :3

And I don't even need to look at your account details to know that.

[-] 4am@lemmy.zip 3 points 2 weeks ago

I was wondering if this is just because of VPN use or something but nope this confirms they’re actually just hired trolls and the rubes have been manipulated this whole time. Fucking pathetic how dumb we are.

[-] khepri@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

It wasn't just based on IP from what I understand, but also what country's app store you used.

[-] NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

I could be wrong here, but unless you're actively trying to hide something pretty serious, I'd be surprised if people use a VPN and set it to a country like Nigeria or Bangladesh if you're from NA.

Maybe Canada if you're from the USA, likely other states, or maybe somewhere in the EU if you think their data protection laws will be better for you.

But Nigeria? Who fuck sets their VPN there?

[-] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Well, lots of tankies, "centrists", and of course nearly all Republicans seem to think that concerns about Russia going back to 2016's election are a "hoax".

I don't know if they could even begin to articulate what they think that word means in the context of their claims. But they sure are butthurt about it.

[-] fodor@lemmy.zip 1 points 2 weeks ago

The hired trolls are only one part of the problem. The other problem -- perhaps the bigger problem -- is that running scam / spam accounts is a legitimate occupation for people living in near-poverty. They need to put food on the table, and if they can do so by posting MAGA bullshit to get the advertising clicks, of course they'll keep on doing that.

This is a good example of why everyone should be working to improve the living situations of everyone else in the world, and not just in their own country. It's not like most people enjoy running scams, but if that pays the bills, fuck it, let the rich Americans sort it out.

[-] daannii@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

There are literal companies you can hire. They also do it to cancel people or promote beliefs about people.

A good example is that Johnny Depp admitted he hired one against his ex during the public court stuff to make her look bad. Amber Heard. And it worked.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3VnNDMYzttcGgBNQB0BswtH/amber-heard-vs-the-internet-an-organised-smear-campaign

Companies, in this case, owned by Saudi

This stuff sounds like crackpot conspiracy theories. But it's real. This stuff is reality now.

[-] Bubbaonthebeach@lemmy.ca 3 points 2 weeks ago

They are probably already back with new names. Or the rest of their names.

[-] taiyang@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

I wonder. People saying it isn't VPNs aren't necessarily wrong but I do want to say it's likely they are using bot networks to mass create accounts and those might use IP rotation. Those IPs can come from any fucking place. I've only seen it from scraping operations, but I bet it's necessary when mass operating bullshit accounts.

US proxies exist, but they're more expensive and wouldn't make as much sense for mass creating if your goal is just to avoid getting blocked.

[-] demizerone@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

Twitter should be nationalized in the public interest and made the online public square like the national mall. Fully transparent and accountable.

[-] blubfisch@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 2 weeks ago

Sounds cool, until the fascists take over the government...

[-] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 weeks ago

As opposed to the non fascists in corporations?

[-] Pacattack57@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

Impartial government owned news is not possible.

[-] fodor@lemmy.zip 1 points 2 weeks ago

Nobody said it would be impartial. It's not impartial now. Might as well make the propaganda be official, imirite?

[-] FenderStratocaster@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

They'll be back.

[-] AreaKode@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

And with greater VPNs

[-] kautau@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

This mass user exodus sponsored by ExpressVPN™

[-] Routhinator@startrek.website 1 points 2 weeks ago

Musk pretends he's something he's not on Shitter all the time.

[-] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 0 points 2 weeks ago

I wonder if this will actually affect some upcoming election outcomes.

And now I think every other major commercial platform in use in the United States should do the same...

[-] sundaymidnight@lemmy.world 0 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

I don't understand it...Ehat are the gains at lying about country here?

[-] TheLowestStone@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

"America First!"

-some paid troll in Russia

[-] IcedRaktajino@startrek.website 1 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Basically pretending to be an organic grass-roots movement or to plant the seeds but the movement is to either destabilize or otherwise benefit a foreign entity.

How do you do my fellow Americans? How about we just start burning stuff down?

Basically shit like that (it's not always that transparent except when it is exactly that transparent). See it pretty often even on here (less so since I've enabled "turbo" on my block button).

[-] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

fellow Americans

https://imgflip.com/i/ad7x2o

[-] thermal_shock@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

It basically exposed all these accounts as being fake, and spreading MAGA conspiracy bullshit in USA

Exhibit A

[-] idiomaddict@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

Totally irrelevant, but something about her posture/clothing looks so physically uncomfortable to me and I can’t put my finger on it.

[-] chiliedogg@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

The accounts are largely based in countries that are suspected by many to be manipulating US public opinion (e.g.Russia/Israel) or from countries with lots of click farms, scam centers, and other "engagement" services.

It showed how much of the American right-wing social media sphere wasn't legitimately American in origin.

this post was submitted on 25 Nov 2025

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