Tal Hanan

Tal Hanan
Born	1973 (age 51–52) Israel
Occupation(s)	Special forces operator, businessman
Known for	Team Jorge disinformation unit

Tal Hanan (Hebrew: טל חנן; born in 1973), also known by his code name Jorge, is an Israeli businessman and former special forces operator who has been involved in disinformation campaigns in order to manipulate elections in several countries.[1] Hanan's organisation Team Jorge has, for instance, attempted to influence the 2015 Nigerian general election in collaboration with Cambridge Analytica.[2][3][4]

The group operate a software called AIMS for creating fake online accounts on social media networks and using them to spread fake news.[5]

Tal Hanan's operation was the subject of an undercover investigation conducted by journalists from TheMarker, Radio France, and Haaretz in Israel working together with the journalism organization Forbidden Stories.[6] It was then jointly reported in The Guardian, Le Monde, Haaretz, Der Spiegel and others in February 2023. Hanan has denied any wrongdoing.[7]

See also

• Troll farm, company who creates fake accounts and uses them to influence the political landscape of a country

References

1. Meggido, Gur; Benjakob, Omer (2012-02-14). "The Israelis destabilizing democracy and disrupting elections worldwide". Haaretz. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
2. Kirchgaessner, Stephanie; Cadwalladr, Carole; Lewis, Paul; Burke, Jason (2023-02-16). "Dark arts of politics: how 'Team Jorge' and Cambridge Analytica meddled in Nigerian election". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-02-17.
3. Megiddo, Gur; Benjakob, Omer. "Cambridge Analytica's Israeli Black Ops Team – Exposed at Last". Haaretz. Retrieved 2023-02-17.
4. Leloup, Damien; Reynaud, Florian (2023-02-15). "Révélations sur Team Jorge, des mercenaires de la désinformation opérant dans le monde entier". Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 2023-02-17.
5. Benjakob, Omer; Megiddo, Gur. "Hacking, Extortion, Election Interference: These Are the Tools Used by Israel's Agents of Chaos and Manipulation". Haaretz. Retrieved 2023-02-17.
6. Andrzejewski, Cécile. ""Team Jorge": In the heart of a global disinformation machine • Forbidden Stories". forbiddenstories.org. Retrieved 2023-02-17.
7. Kirchgaessner, Stephanie; Ganguly, Manisha; Pegg, David; Cadwalladr, Carole; Burke, Jason (15 February 2023). "Revealed: the hacking and disinformation team meddling in elections". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 February 2023.