Since early 2020 we have been working to expose how Russia has weaponized conspiracy theories. The same tools and techniques are still in use and have been very effective. We have explained in the previous post how the underground marketplace is used to produce and spread disinformation. Here will talk about vote and petition manipulation.
Manipulating votes, petitions, and polls on social media and other online platforms can be one of the most effective means to influence public opinion, and this service is also offered in the Russian underground. Siguldin markets itself to be capable of manipulating almost any voting system on the Internet and bypassing security checks such as source IP address, Captcha, and authentication mechanisms in social media, SMS, and email as well as on-site registration among others. Would-be customers are given a free trial of 10 to 20 votes; payment starts on the 50th vote.
Siguldin’s fees depend on how votes are validated. A vote that bypasses IP address, Captcha or other simple authentication costs RUB 1 to RUB 1.5. Voting systems that require authentication via social media will cost RUB 2 to RUB 3, while those requiring detailed online registration cost RUB 3 to RUB 4 For voting systems that require SMS confirmation and more complex authentication methods, the customer is imposed with RUB 5 per vote.
