Although only six months have passed since Kosovo held its last parliamentary elections, new phenomena of misinformation risk haunting the information environment in the June 7 elections.
From today (May 28) until the ballot boxes open on June 7 at 06:59, Kosovo enters the election campaign period (see here).
Experience from coverage that Hibrid.info did to the information environment during the campaign periods for past elections, shows that citizens can face fabricated polls, false statements by public figures, and the use of videos generated or manipulated with artificial intelligence (AI).
Fake polls
For the December 28 parliamentary elections alone, dozens of publications claiming to present public opinion measurements were identified. They achieved millions of views. Most lacked clear methodology and reliable sources, while some cited non-existent companies or organizations as conducting the “polls.”
Even now, Hibrid.info has noticed that as soon as it became known that Kosovo would hold new parliamentary elections, pages calling themselves media were activated on Facebook to publish surveys they call "polls" with questions about which political entity you would vote for in the early elections (see here, here and here). These contents, however, do not meet basic standards of public opinion measurement and may contribute to information disorder (see here).
"Statements" of public figures
In the past elections, social media saw the return of previous statements and positions by political officials, which users re-shared to recall past promises or positions. Along with them, false or misleading content that had circulated earlier also returned, such as false claims about Serbian President Vučić regarding the Serbian List's ties to the opposition, fabricated statements about Prime Minister Kurti, and fabricated posts related to Croatian President Milanović (see here).
Even old visual materials, including videos of politicians and analysts, have been republished to create false impressions in the context of the elections. During the period leading up to the elections, much content on social media attributes unfounded, often fabricated, statements to public figures in order to influence public opinion.
Artificial intelligence content
The approach of the December 28 elections marked an increase in the use of videos and images generated with artificial intelligence to spread manipulated political narratives.
This content featured expatriate citizens in various locations, such as Prishtina Airport, claiming that they would vote for certain candidates and creating the impression of massive diaspora support. Some materials also contained unsubstantiated claims about political meetings after parliamentary sessions or about secret support for candidates. Analysis of verification platforms showed that the videos and images contain typical deepfake distortions, including unnatural facial expressions, robotic voice, and poor visual coherence, clearly demonstrating the artificial manipulation of the content. The high audience interaction with this content indicates that a portion of users take it as truth, amplifying its impact and deepening political polarization (see here).
On TikTok, dozens of AI-generated videos were published in the style of TV news reports, receiving hundreds of thousands of views and favoring the Vetëvendosje Movement. The content linked the diaspora to mobilization for VV, used fake polls for support, and presented fictitious results of coalitions or rising votes. Despite the videos being labeled “AI-Generated” and containing the Sora app logo, many viewers took them for real. This phenomenon clearly demonstrates the risk that AI-generated content poses to democratic processes and the need for public awareness, strict verification by fact-checking groups, and greater responsibility of social platforms. Also, the use of AI in journalism should be overseen by editorial staff and any artificially generated content should be clearly labeled to preserve the integrity and reliability of the information.
"Slopaganda"
In the context of the increasing use of artificial intelligence for misinformation, “Slopaganda" is an international phenomenon that is also being used in Kosovo. Through this phenomenon, political developments are being distorted.
“Slopaganda” is the combination of low-quality generated or manipulated content with deliberate propaganda to relativize debate, trivialize public issues, or manipulate citizens’ perceptions (see here).
AI-generated or manipulated videos that feature politicians dancing, singing, in absurd situations, or reacting theatrically are not intended to inform the public. Their purpose is to produce entertainment, irony, or ridicule – turning the political figure into a meme. In this way, politics loses its content and becomes a digital performance.
Within this digital ecosystem, political figures are no longer perceived solely through their institutional role or public statements, but increasingly through the image that is constructed about them on social networks. In recent cases, such content has circulated about several political figures in the country, including the acting Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, former President Vjosa Osmani, and the leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo, Lumir Abdixhiku (see here).
“Content farms”
In addition to "Slopaganda", on the eve of election periods, on the social media "Facebook" there is an increased activity of various pages that present themselves as media and distribute content from dubious portals. These pages publish articles with sensational and "clickbait" titles, often emotional and unclear, that do not match the content, with the aim of attracting clicks and increasing interactions (likes, comments and shares).
This phenomenon is known as a “content farm,” which refers to networks or pages that produce and distribute content en masse, with a focus on generating traffic and engagement on social networks, rather than accurately informing the public. In many cases, the same article is published by dubious portals and then distributed simultaneously to many different Facebook pages, creating the impression of a broad and organic spread of information (see here).
Such content often focuses on political topics, claims about electoral developments, or emotional and polarizing material, which tends to generate numerous reactions and shares from users.
The term "Content farm" is used for websites or online networks that mass-produce and publish low-quality articles, often optimized for clicks and traffic (SEO), rather than providing verified information or genuine journalism.
These sites typically use "clickbait" headlines and rehashed or misinformative content to generate as many visits and advertising revenue as possible.
From the monitoring conducted by hibrid.info, it is observed that these pages on "Facebook", in periods when there are no important political developments - such as the June 7 elections in this case - publish various content to build an audience. While, close to election periods, they switch to publishing articles with political content, mainly using "clickbait" titles and misinforming content.
Misinformation with interethnic content
At the end of last year, during the local and parliamentary elections, there was a series of misinformation circulating regarding interethnic relations and the political situation in Kosovo.
They were mainly published on social media and included false claims about serious events, political coalitions, the entry of the Kosovo Security Force into the north, and territorial issues.
Monitoring during the past elections has shown that manipulated information is being spread among Serbian-language publications in an attempt to create fear and interethnic tensions in northern Kosovo (see here).
Foreign influence and manipulation of information (FIMI)
During previous elections, narratives were created in the Serbian language that the elections are an existential battle for the Serbian community, that the Serbian List is the only legitimate representative, victimization of the Serbian community and portrayal of Kosovo institutions as a source of pressure and a threat to the security of Serbs (see here).
What should we keep in mind?
Candidates' names are often misused and based on them, accounts are opened in support or even against.
Therefore, when we encounter content published by dubious sites with emotional or ambiguous titles, they should be treated with caution and skepticism. It is important to check whether the articles have clear sources and identified authors, as well as to verify whether the same content has also been published by credible media.
Readers should follow the work of fact-checkers and use online platforms like Google Lens to verify the authenticity of images. Fact-checking, especially in polls, has been one of the methods used to spread misinformation about the elections in recent months.
The Hibrid.info platform will continue monitoring this election campaign to identify false publications.