Troll farms are organized groups of Internet trolls – people who deliberately post controversial or inflammatory messages – designed to create and amplify falsehoods, distort public opinion, or openly contradict facts. Increasingly, trollfishing centers not only pose a threat to democracy in general, but also become a danger to public health.
In Latin America, the rise of troll farms is fueling a dangerous cycle of misinformation and eroding trust in media, leaving the public vulnerable to manipulation and unable to distinguish truth from deception. This becomes even more critical when public health is at stake, as false information can lead to harmful behaviors and consequences.
The COVID-19 pandemic, for example, generated hundreds of messages promoting false cures for the virus or discouraging the use of vaccines. Now, following Meta’s recent decision to scale back fact-checking, experts are warning that misinformation could further grow, exacerbating these risks.
“We are seeing a shift from generating content from thousands of fake accounts to creating inauthentic digital media that mimics the behavior of journalistic outlets. Thanks to artificial intelligence, thousands of fake articles are now emerging to support lies as if they were credible sources,” says Alfredo. Velazco, director of Usuarios Digitales, an NGO that monitors social media use and disinformation networks in Latin America.
Velazco spent weeks assessing Ecuador’s social media landscape and its relationship to troll farms. for a report. In Ecuador, a swarm of fake media with their own brand and websites, distribute fake news to counter the efforts of President Daniel Noboa to combat gang violence ahead of the country’s 2025 elections.
If troll farms control the creation, distribution, and verification of content, the public will have difficulty distinguishing facts from lies.
This wave of misinformation poses an even greater challenge: if troll farms control the creation, distribution, and verification of content, the public will have difficulty distinguishing facts from lies. When this happens, the misinformation is not limited to politics. Areas such as public health become natural targets for troll farms.
Health misinformation is a growing challenge for Spanish-speaking communitiesparticularly in the United States. Carolina Bazante, fact-checker and founder of independent fact-checking platform Lupa Media, notes that within Latino communities, scientific misinformation against vaccines is increasingly common. “We can’t do this alone,” Bazante says, emphasizing that educating the public is crucial.
Misinformation could intensify under the new U.S. administration if divisive rhetoric or inconsistent public health strategies create opportunities that bad actors could exploit. Tools such as community ratingsa feature on responsibility for fact-checking should not be entrusted to a handful of ordinary users. It’s a battle that requires everyone’s participation, not just experts.
Meta’s recent decision to move to a third-party fact-checking model has also been criticized. Commentators warn that the move could leave a gap in the fight against misinformation, particularly regarding health, thus amplifying the need for stronger third-party fact-checking.
A woman uses a cell phone while waiting for information from a nursing home, where people have been infected with COVID-19 according to local media, in Guadalupe, Mexico, May 6, 2020.
REUTERS/Daniel Becerril
Health Misinformation in Manufacturing
Many Latin American troll farms were created during the pandemic to help politicians sow fear and outrage by using health misinformation to weaken trust in political rivals, particularly those in charge of health public, in order to effectively manage the crisis.
Mariela* runs operations from her home in Guayaquil, Ecuador, where she oversees the work of 62 trolls running campaigns in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru and in Spain. Employees earn between $400 and $2,500 per month. In Ecuador, where the average monthly salary is around $600, working as a troll is a lucrative career option for many. Earnings depend on workload, skills and results: a post that goes viral is worth more than one that doesn’t.
Mariela says her company’s strategy falls into two categories: attack or defense. Sometimes the work requires uploading videos to falsely link someone, usually a client’s political opponent, to corruption or drug trafficking. Other times, it’s about flooding customer posts with positive comments to create a positive public image. Mariela describes most of her clients as “high-profile, reputation-conscious politicians.”
Enrique*, one of Mariela’s competitors, who has been in the industry for at least a decade, recalls a disinformation campaign his company ran during the pandemic from its office in Mexico City, Mexico.
“One of our clients often asked us to viralize (to distribute content on social networks) images found online claiming that there were piles of rotting corpses, or false statements claiming to come from Mayor Cynthia Viteri ( then mayor of Guayaquil, one of the cities hardest hit by the pandemic) saying that the dead would be buried in mass graves. The idea was to capitalize on the horror of the pandemic. » Viteri faced a drastic drop in approval rates and, in 2023, lost his re-election bid.
They amplified misinformation, creating the illusion of broad public support and confidence in these unproven treatments.
Comment threads also attract trolls.
“People need to reaffirm what they think,” says Mariela. “That’s why they read the comments, to confirm or modify their interpretation.”
During the pandemic, Mariela’s team flooded comment threads on social media posts promoting ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine as miracle cures for COVID-19. They spammed social media with comments like “This saved my cousin’s life!” or “Doctors don’t want you to know about it because it’s cheap and effective.” They amplified misinformation, creating the illusion of broad public support and confidence in these unproven treatments.
Professional trolls still have ethical limits. Enrique, for example, never gets involved in “family matters: lovers, sexual preferences, that sort of thing.” Mariela says she has stricter boundaries: “Never with sexual abusers, doctors accused of professional misconduct or drug trafficking.” Beyond these exceptions, trolls are open to working with almost any public figure, from artists to athletes and, of course, politicians. Clients come after being recommended by a friend of a friend, because none of the agencies ever advertise.
When asked if they trust the media, a troll farm employee responded: “After everything I’ve seen? No. I don’t trust the media. I don’t trust anymore to no one.”
Passengers wear masks on the subway, in Monterrey, Mexico, December 16, 2022.
REUTERS/Daniel Becerril
EDITOR’S NOTE: Names have been changed to protect confidentiality.