Peace Data or PeaceData is a fake news website run by the Internet Research Agency, a Russian outlet connected to the country's government, which publishes in English and Arabic.[1]
History
Part of its object was to interfere in the 2020 United States elections with the intention of helping Donald Trump to be re-elected by defeating the Democratic candidate Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris.[2] The aim was to reduce support for the Biden-Harris ticket among liberal voters.[3] According to Graphika, a social media analytics firm, only about 5 percent of the website's English-language content concerned the American elections, but "this facet of the operation suggests an attempt to build a left-wing audience and steer it away from Biden's campaign". It also targeted left-wing voters in the UK,[4] and featured articles about Algeria, Egypt and Turkey.[5][6] The website hired unsuspecting journalists in the United States as well as inventing false personas with computer created avatars.[7] These fake identities included the three permanent staff members listed on the website, according to Graphika.[5]