Some of the alleged Likud fake account holders mentioned in reports by the New York Times and Yedioth Ahronoth are speaking out.
One of the Twitter users named in the report as being a fake account tells the 103FM radio station that his account has been online since 2010. Ziv Knobler denies being part of an organized Likud campaign or receiving money from the party. Knobler says he is considering suing the paper over the report.
Another user, Giora, whose runs the Twitter account “Captain George,” tells the station, “I am not a bot, I am not a robot, I am 63 and will soon have my 64th birthday.
“On my profile it shows I have been active since December 2017,” Giora says. He also denies receiving payment or being part of a campaign network.
The news stories cited a report by Israeli social media watchdog Big Bots Project. Led by activists and tech experts Noam Rotem and Yuval Adam, Big Bot Project has organized several hackathons to uncover bot networks aimed at influencing the election.
— Stuart Winer
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