Journalist Dinara Yegeubayeva has reported the appearance of fake accounts on Telegram and Threads, whose creators are using her name and photographs to spread false information. Among the posts are claims about political asylum in the USA and grants from the international organisation Reporters Without Borders.
WHAT INFORMATION IS BEING SPREAD IN THE JOURNALIST'S NAME
According to data from the International Foundation for Freedom of Speech Protection "Adil Soz", the journalist reported several Telegram channels that present themselves as being connected to her. Dinara Yegeubayeva stated that she has no connection to these resources and is not responsible for the posts published there.
A post also appeared on Threads in which the author claimed that the journalist had allegedly applied to the US embassy for political asylum. Yegeubayeva refuted this information and said that she had already warned the American embassy about the spread of false information.
THE POSTS MENTION INTERNATIONAL GRANTS
According to the journalist, the same account is spreading claims about grants that she allegedly received from the international organisation Reporters Without Borders.
The screenshots passed to the foundation also record a fake page designed using the journalist's name and photograph. It contains sexualised content.
The Adil Soz foundation regards the creation of such accounts, the spread of false information and the use of the journalist's images in a sexualised context as forms of digital pressure and discreditation.
The foundation considers it necessary to identify the individuals who create and administer the fake resources and to bring them to criminal responsibility.
CONTEXT
In Kazakhstan, cases of using fake accounts and media resources to spread false information are being recorded increasingly often.
Earlier, the former chairman of the Ak Zhol party stated that unknown individuals were spreading fake material about him through websites copying the design of the publication Exclusive.kz. The editorial team confirmed the existence of at least three such resources and stated that it had not published the material.
It later became known that unknown individuals had also attacked the social media of the Ak Zhol party. On 24 September, Azat Peruashev's account on WhatsApp was also blocked.
Posts with accusations against Azat Peruashev appeared in a fake Telegram channel of the publication NEGE as well. The clone almost completely copies the design of the original, including the posts and the number of subscribers.
In this connection, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) ordered several forensic examinations in a criminal case concerning the spread of knowingly false information. Investigators are also continuing to identify the owners of the clone websites on which the disputed posts appeared.
