What influence operations are

Fake news websites in influence operations

Q: Are these sites always run by governments?

No. Meta linked some to firms such as IMA Digital. The EEAS state-aligned category covers sites without formal attribution.

Last checked 24 October 2026 · 8 sources

Short answer

Reports describe two main types of fake news site. Some spoof real outlets, such as the Doppelganger domains that copy news or government sites ³. Others are invented brands posing as local media, such as Iran-linked sites Microsoft named in August 2024 ⁴. Google blocks such domains from Google News and Discover, and listed 177 Portal Kombat domains in February 2025 ⁶. The EEAS classes networks such as Portal Kombat and Paperwall as state-aligned channels ⁷.

Doppelganger domains listed by Meta: 42 domains listed as spoofing news sites, December 2024 update ³
Portal Kombat domains, Google: 57 in January and 177 in February 2025 ⁶
Storm-2035 sites named by Microsoft: EvenPolitics, Nio Thinker, Savannah Time ⁴
Media impersonation, EEAS 2025: Outlets including Der Spiegel, Le Point and Die Welt ⁸

Spoofed outlets

Spoofing means copying the name and design of a real outlet. Meta's December 2024 update on the Russia-based Doppelganger operation listed 42 domains in a table headed domains spoofing news sites ³. Meta said it was the first to publicly attribute Doppelganger, in December 2022, to two companies in Russia, Structura National Technology and Social Design Agency ³.

The 4th EEAS report lists impersonation of outlets such as Der Spiegel, Le Point and Die Welt under Doppelganger ⁸. Meta said an Iran-origin brand in its Q3 2024 report ran a website mimicking the Jerusalem Post ³.

Invented local brands

Many networks invent outlets that do not exist. Microsoft's Threat Analysis Center said on 9 August 2024 that an Iranian network it calls Storm-2035 ran covert news sites aimed at US voters. It named EvenPolitics, Nio Thinker and Savannah Time ⁴. Microsoft said the sites appeared to plagiarise US publications using AI-enabled services ⁴.

Meta's Q2 2024 report linked a network using sites such as yerli-media and sakartvelo-today to IMA Digital, a Moscow-registered marketing firm ². Another Russia-origin network posted under brands including Euro Top News ². OpenAI listed newstop.africa among Stop News sites in October 2024 ⁵.

Meta said a Moldova-origin network ran about a dozen fictitious Russian-language news brands ³. A Lebanon-origin network ran three fictitious news entities, Dofek, Israel in a Minute and Halalom Israel ³. In Bangladesh, Meta said Pages posed as fictitious outlets and used the names of existing news organisations ¹.

Aggregator and filler networks

The 3rd EEAS report, published in March 2025, places Portal Kombat, False Façade and Paperwall in its state-aligned category ⁷. That category covers channels showing systematic alignment with a state without enough evidence for formal attribution ⁷.

Google lists domains it blocks from appearing on Google News and Discover. Its Q1 2025 bulletin listed 57 Portal Kombat domains in January and 177 in February, and 47 Doppelganger domains in February ⁶. The 4th EEAS report says Paperwall expanded its filler websites, mostly aimed at Africa and the Middle East ⁸.

How the sites spread

Reports describe sites being pushed through social media accounts. Meta said in May 2024 that Doppelganger operators had largely stopped linking to spoofed news domains on its apps and had stopped attempting to share links by April 2024 ¹. Microsoft said in August 2024 it had not yet seen significant social media amplification of the Storm-2035 sites ⁴.

Meta: STOIC ran branded websites including Nonagenda, Ufnews and uc4canada, May 2024 ¹
OpenAI: Stop News used euronewstop.co.uk, newstop.africa, britishtalks.com and britishattitudes.com, October 2024 ⁵
EEAS: about five inauthentic media-brand websites run by RRN Media Brands, 2025 ⁸

Common questions

What is Doppelganger?

Meta describes it as a Russia-based operation. It said it was the first to publicly attribute it, in December 2022, to two companies in Russia, Structura National Technology and Social Design Agency ³.

Does Google remove fake news sites?

Google's bulletins list domains it blocks from eligibility to appear on Google News and Discover ⁶.

What is Portal Kombat?

The EEAS lists it as a state-aligned network in its March 2025 report ⁷. Google listed Portal Kombat domains in 2025 ⁶.

Are these sites always run by governments?

No. Meta linked some to firms such as IMA Digital ². The EEAS state-aligned category covers sites without formal attribution ⁷.

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Sources

Influence operation tactics documented in official reports
Fake personas, fake media brands, paid ads, self-amplification and AI-written content, as Meta, Google, OpenAI and the EEAS have documented them.
Commercial influence for hire in official takedown reports
How Meta, OpenAI, Google and the EU have reported marketing and PR firms behind covert influence networks, with firm names as each report gives them.
EU reports on foreign information manipulation and interference
What the EEAS reports on foreign information manipulation and interference count, the periods they cover, and how they classify channels.
Google TAG bulletins explained
How Google Threat Analysis Group bulletins list terminated YouTube channels, blogs, ads accounts and blocked domains, with 2025 examples.