Largest Bot Network
National Digital Intelligence Platform
United Arab EmiratesAD
V-SECTOR
Bot & Inauthentic Behavior
UAE-linked bot networks, troll farms, and coordinated inauthentic behavior analysis
UAE Relevance Assessment Matrix
Topic classification by relevance level
19,000 RSF-Aligned Bots (Oct 2025)
Severity: ExtremeConfidence: HIGH
CRITICAL
COP28 Greenwashing Bot Network
Severity: HighConfidence: HIGH
CRITICAL
5,000+ STC Bot Accounts (Yemen)
Severity: ExtremeConfidence: HIGH
CRITICAL
Twitter Suspension (2019)
Severity: HighConfidence: HIGH
CRITICAL
Hired Defamation Companies
Severity: ExtremeConfidence: HIGH
CRITICAL
Fake African Accounts Network
Severity: HighConfidence: MEDIUM
CRITICAL
Sock Puppet Operations
Severity: HighConfidence: HIGH
HIGH
Troll Farm Infrastructure
Severity: MediumConfidence: MEDIUM
HIGH
Synthetic Identity Fraud
Severity: MediumConfidence: LOW
MEDIUM
AI Deepfake Warnings
Severity: MediumConfidence: HIGH
MEDIUM
Engagement Fraud (Influencers)
Severity: MediumConfidence: MEDIUM
MEDIUM
Source Credibility Tiers
Distribution by source tier
URL Fetch Status
Source accessibility breakdown
Relevance Distribution
UAE relevance classification
Dashboard KPIs - Bot Network Scale
Key performance indicators
19,514 accounts
Largest UAE Bot Network
Dec 2025
7,000 accounts
COP28 Bot Network
Dec 2023
5,626 estimated bots
STC Yemen Bot Network
Dec 2025
4,258 accounts
Twitter UAE Suspension (2019)
Sep 2019
3,700 accounts
Diavolo Network (Saudi)
Jan 2020
~500 people
Troll Farm Operators
Mar 2019
88,000+
SMAAT Removed Accounts
2019
Research Notes
Key findings from analysis
Language Detection Gap: Botometer's documented imprecision for non-English accounts (particularly Arabic) significantly affects UAE-focused bot detection accuracy. Academic studies using English thresholds on Arabic content likely produce high false positive/negative rates.
Network Persistence: Despite Twitter/X takedowns (4,258+ accounts in 2019), UAE-aligned networks have continued operating and growing, demonstrating resilience and adaptation to platform enforcement.
Cross-Platform Expansion: Operations documented across Twitter/X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Reddit, and TikTok, indicating multi-platform manipulation strategy.
Recurring Patterns: Similar bot network structures (generals/minions hierarchy) observed across RSF campaign (2025), COP28 (2023), and COP29 Azerbaijan (2024) operations.
Casual Labor Market: Troll farm workers earning Dh2,000-Dh5,000/month represents significant casual labor market for disinformation, distinct from state-sponsored technical operations.
Analysis Summary
UAE-linked bot and inauthentic behavior operations represent one of the most sophisticated and well-documented social media manipulation ecosystems in the Middle East. Operations range from state-sponsored bot networks amplifying pro-UAE propaganda to hired third-party companies conducting astroturfing and sock puppet campaigns against dissidents. Research has documented networks ranging from hundreds to 19,000+ automated accounts targeting topics from COP28 climate summits to regional conflicts in Yemen, Sudan, Somalia, and Qatar.
Last Updated: 2026-04-28
Total URLs: 35
SSOT: SINGLE SOURCE OF TRUTH