Israel denies link to Islamophobic campaign in Canada that Meta says originated there

The Israeli government is being accused in published reports of involvement in an operation aimed at reducing support for Palestinians in Canada that was flagged by artificial intelligence researchers.

Israel rejects the claim — being reported by the New York Times and Israeli newspaper Haaretz — that it's behind the social-media influence campaign which researchers say is targeting North Americans with Islamophobic content.

Accounts bearing the name United Citizens for Canada posted content portraying Canadian Muslims as threatening Western values, and suggesting pro-Palestinian protesters in Canada were seeking to implement Shariah law.

The Digital Forensic Research Lab, a project run by the Atlantic Council, a prominent Washington think tank, first called out the posts in a March analysis.

It noted that the campaign employed artificial intelligence to change words being said by a man with a beard and Muslim skullcap at a rally. It also noted a photo of Muslims holding a banner was digitally altered, making the poster read «Shariah for Canada.»

«The network, which included at least 50 accounts on Facebook, 18 on Instagram and more than one hundred on X, boosted anti-Muslim and Islamophobic narratives directed at Canadian audiences,» the March analysis reads.

The accounts used AI-generated profile pictures and repeatedly posted similar messages, often seeking to garner press coverage directly from individual Canadian journalists and media outlets. One post on Instagram warns people to be wary «if anti-Liberal Islam wants to enter your hockey team.»

The group «possibly hijacked existing accounts,» the think tank wrote. Meta said it decided to close down affiliated Facebook profiles after receiving queries from the think tank.

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