Thread : Investigating The Ruling Party Bjp’S Propaganda Factory

THREAD : Investigating the ruling party BJP’s propaganda factory. A network of 23 websites hosted on same IP Address & linked facebook pages working as pseudo-entities pushing propaganda Ads by spending crores of money on Facebook, attacking non-BJP parties & leaders. +

Alt News got an intel which informed us that few websites are identical in appearance and have same IP address. The Facebook pages linked to these websites are running BJP’s propaganda and spending huge amount of money on Facebook ads. +

We started investigating the websites we got in an Intel, which led us to other connected websites and facebook pages that followed the same pattern. One of the websites in the Intel’s list was (phirekbaarmodisarkar./com). +

We checked (phirekbaarmodisarkar.com) website using the Website IP Lookup tool, and got its IP address (13.232.63.153) in the result. +

After this, we searched this IP address on the Reverse IP Lookup tool to collect information related to it. We found 13 websites hosted on the IP address (13.232.63.153) of (phirekbaarmodisarkar./com). In October 2022, 14 websites were hosted on this IP address. +

To compare this difference, attaching the archive link of 13 October 2022 (archive.is/FUWJE) and 14 March 2023 (archive.is/azSTN). All these websites have the same interface, homepage with 3 pictures, Facebook page link, disclaimer and privacy policy page. +

To find the history of this IP address (13.232.63.153), we used BuiltWith’s IP Address Usage History tool. When we searched this IP address (13.232.63.153) through this tool, we found the trace of 23 websites that have been hosted on this IP address since December 2019. +

Here is the list of these websites.
1. jharkhand2019(.)com
2. chormachayeshor(.)com
3. ghargharraghubar(.)com
4. thefrustratedbengali(.)com
5. phirekbaarmodisarkar(.)com
6. modisangnitish(.)com
7. nirmamata(.)com
8. up2022(.)com
9. bhakbudbak(.)com
+

10. mahathugbandhan(.)com
11. telanganaatmagouravam (.)com
12. kamaldobara(.)com
13. olirattumputhuvai(.)com
14. valarchipaadaiyiltamizhagam(.)com
15. buababua(.)com
16. teisheabarbjpsarkaar(.)com
17. modisaatherajasthan(.)com
18. theindiancompass(.)com
+

19. meghalayawithmodi(.)com
20. mp2023(.)com
21. pappugappu(.)com
22. shivshahiparat(.)com
23. chuntliexpress(.)com

Many of these websites are down. (web archive in detailed story). We tried to collect information about these domains with the Registration data lookup tool, +

We found that registrant data of all these domains are hidden from the WHOIS directory by using Domains by Proxy privacy services. Template and content pattern of these websites are same which contains a home page, disclaimer and privacy policy page, and a facebook page link. +

Similar looking websites can be seen in the screenshots below. (Detailed report is attached at the end of the thread). +

One thing is common in all these websites. The Facebook page linked to these websites spent lakhs of rupees on Facebook Ads. To collect information related to this, we searched the Ad Library Report of Facebook’s parent company Meta, we analyzed the Facebook pages +

linked to all these websites one by one and found that from 21 Feb 2019 to 10 Mar 2023, these pages spent ₹3,47,05,292 money on 48,930 facebook ads. These pages run BJP propaganda in their ads and many of these pages are dedicated to attack non-BJP parties and leaders. +

For example :

• Thugs of Jharkhand – Attacking Hemant Soren, JMM, Congress
• Chor Machaye Shor – Attacking Bhupinder Hooda, Congress

• The Frustrated Bengali – Attacking Mamata Banerjee, Trinamool Congress
• Nirmamata – Attacking Mamata Banerjee, Trinamool Congress
+

• Bhak Budbak – Attacking Tejashwi Yadav, RJD
• Mahathugbandhan – Attacking opposition parties
• Bua Babua – Attaching Akhilesh Yadav, Mayawati, SP, BSP
• Pappu Gappu – Attaching Rahul Gandhi, Congress
• Chuntli Express – Attacking Aam Aadmi Party, Congress
+

It’s worth noting that the Facebook pages linked to these websites have promoted the BJP fiercely and have run Ads targeting non-BJP parties and leaders, but the ‘disclaimer’ of these Ads include either the domain of the website or the name of the same page that posted the Ad. +

According to the Meta ad policy, when an advertiser classifies their ad as related to social issues, elections or politics, they have to tell in the ‘disclaimer’ who paid for the advertisement. +

Here is the detailed data that from 21 Feb 2019 to 10 Mar 2023, which pages have spent how much money by running ads on Facebook. The name of some pages is coming twice because either there are two pages which have the same name, or they have changed the disclaimer. +

What type of content is advertised by these pages? For example, the data in the Meta Ad Library shows that the Facebook page ‘Phir Ek Baar Modi Sarkar’ ran an ad between 16-18 March, 2023, which was taken down as it went against the Meta Advertising Standards. +

The advertisement falsely claimed that Asal Toje, the deputy leader of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, had said that Narendra Modi is the top contender for the Nobel Peace Prize. This claim was false, and fact-checked by various fact-checking organisations. +

Here are some more examples in which these facebook pages are pushing BJP’s propaganda and demeaning non-BJP party and leaders in the advertisement run by them on Facebook. (Detailed report is attached at the end of the thread). +

Most of these Facebook pages have a huge following, some pages have millions of followers on which they regularly post BJP propaganda and demean opposition parties and leaders. Attaching the number of followers of these Facebook pages along with the archive link. +

In the Meta Ad Library Report, these pages have given their contact details (mobile number, email, address and website) in the disclaimer of the advertisement. We noticed that a mobile number is given in the disclaimer of the Facebook page ‘Bhak Budbak’. +

When we searched this number on Google, we found that a Facebook page named Paltu Aadmi Party had shared this number and appealed to add it to WhatsApp groups. Facebook posts indexed on Google have been deleted, so those links are broken. +

We searched the number on Facebook and found two posts of a page ‘Paltu Aadmi Party’. In these posts, this page shared the same mobile number available in the disclaimer of FB page ‘Bhak Budbak’ and wrote that “add our number to your WhatsApp groups to defeat Aam Aadmi Party”. +

When we searched this page in Meta Ad Library Report, we found that this page had run a lot of Facebook Ads attacking Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party. This page has spent a total of ₹42,49,050 by running 2,553 ads so far. +

This page is also a part of this network.

Contact details of all Facebook pages in this network available in the Meta Ad Library Report have been added in the detailed report at the end of this thread. +

These websites have connection with BJP.

On the (phirekbaarmodisarkar.com) website, we found the link to a Facebook page – Phir Ek Baar Modi Sarkar. We noticed that this page has more than 42 lakh followers and actively posts in support of BJP and against opposition parties. +

We looked at the transparency section of this facebook page and found that it was created on July 9, 2016 and its old name was ‘Uttar Dega Uttar Pradesh’. It must be noted that before the 2017 UP assembly elections, the BJP had run a campaign named ‘Uttar Dega Uttar Pradesh’. +

On 26 August 2017, a few months after the elections were over, the name of the page was changed to ‘Har Pradesh Ki Pukar BJP Sarkar’. The name of this page was last changed to ‘Phir Ek Baar Modi Sarkar’ on 2 September 2017. +

According to info in Page Transparency, this Page has run ads about social issues, elections or politics. When we looked at the ad library of this page, we found that this page actively spends money on Facebook ads in support of the BJP and against the opposition parties. +

While doing research on this page, we found information related to BJP’s campaign ‘Uttar Dega Uttar Pradesh’ ahead of Uttar Pradesh 2017 Assembly Elections. In the same vein, a Facebook page was created by the BJP, named ‘Uttar Dega Uttar Pradesh’. +

Now the name of this page has been changed to ‘Phir Ek Baar Modi Sarkar’. This Facebook page is mentioned in articles published by news outlets in 2016 and 2017.

The Quint: archive.is/6YVCm
Aaj Tak: archive.is/LwffM
The Indian Express: archive.is/RvgGN
+

Hindustan Times: archive.is/cceFP

We found a post on this page dated December 8, 2016, in this post the website of the campaign, Facebook page/Twitter username, mobile numbers are given. +

As the name and username of this Facebook page have been changed, the Facebook link is broken (404 error). However, this Twitter account is inactive and no changes have been made in it. On searching the old tweets of this account, +

we found that this handle is directly connected to the Facebook page ‘Uttar Dega Uttar Pradesh’ (which has now been changed to ‘Phir Ek Baar Modi Sarkar’). We found a tweet dated August 11, 2016 from Twitter account (@UttarDegaUP) Twitter account. +

In this tweet, a Facebook short link has been given along with the text. Clicking on this link opens the page ‘Phir Ek Baar Modi Sarkar’, whose old name was ‘Uttar Dega Uttar Pradesh’. (Redirect archive – archive.is/TVPOZ). The Facebook post has the same text and date. +

We noticed that the website upkemannkibaat.com and mobile number have been given in the 2016 posts of the Facebook page ‘Phir Ek Baar Modi Sarkar’. On searching Twitter, we found this website and mobile number tweeted by both the offical handle of BJP & BJP Uttar Pradesh. +

BJP Uttar Pradesh had also mentioned this website and mobile number in its promo video. The BJP had used this mobile number in its campaign ‘UP Ke Mann Ki Baat’. In 2016, this mobile number was also present on the banner of the official Twitter handle of BJP Uttar Pradesh. +

We checked the 2019 disclaimer detail of the Ads given by Facebook page ‘Phir Ek Baar Modi Sarkar’ by applying date filter in Meta Ad Library report and found an address (6-A, Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg, Near ITO, Minto Bridge Colony, Barakhamba, New Delhi, India 110002). +

When we tried to collect information about this address, we found that it is the address of BJP’s headquarters. This address is also given on the official website of BJP. +

According to the @Meta Ad Policy, when an advertiser classifies their ad as related to social issues, elections or politics, they must disclose who paid for the ad. This info is present on the ads in the form of ‘Published by’ where the name of the person/entity running the ad. +

The ‘create disclaimers and link ad accounts’ page of Meta says that any disclaimers that you create must accurately reflect the organisation or person paying for your ads. +

Facebook has established two ways to get the disclaimer approved, the first is through the legal name on ID documents. The second way requires the advertiser to provide a self-declared organization name (India based street address, business phone number, website, domain email). +

Here comes the main reason for the creation of these websites – this is the easiest way to get the disclaimer approved. In this, they buy a domain and make a simple website on which they create privacy policy & disclaimer page and provides a link of connected Facebook page. +

They create a custom domain email through that purchased domain, then submit their address and mobile number to Facebook for approval. (The list of addresses submitted by these pages for disclaimer approval is available in the detailed story at the end of this thread). +

Looking at it carefully, we found some addresses incomplete, in which only the name of the city and state is given. But Facebook has given approval to these disclaimers despite the submission of incomplete information, through which these pages are running political ads. +

The network of these websites and linked Facebook pages connected with the ruling party BJP spent crores on facebook Ads pushing propaganda against non-BJP parties and leaders. Read the deatailed investigative report here. ⬇️
altnews.in/hindi/exclusiv…

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