Bots, deepfakes and surveillance: Israel’s election goes to war online

Polls show the blocs are in a dead heat as Tuesday's general election approaches. Both camps are mobilizing supporters and attacking opponents through social media advertisements and AI-generated content, often painting starkly different visions of Israel's future depending on which party wins.

The Israeli liberal daily Haaretz reported Thursday that dozens of bots originally created to undermine the Iranian government have been repurposed to spread campaign propaganda supporting Netanyahu and Likud, while warning voters about the dangers posed by Eisenkot and Bennett.

Digital warfare

Both sides are pushing AI-generated and deepfake videos on X platform. Some videos show Netanyahu confronting his alleged failings before the Hamas-led attack of October 7, 2023, while others depict the opposition as sympathetic to Arab parties that could act as kingmakers in the election.

Likud attempted to use Elector, an app that tracks voter turnout, but was restricted by the Central Elections Committee due to privacy concerns. They will instead use Victory 26, which doesn't reveal voter identities but allows officials to identify low-turnout areas and target non-voters.

Controversial content

Finance Minister Belazel Smotrich released an AI video showing Supreme Court officials being violently dragged from an anti-government protest. Netanyahu shared a video showing Eisenkot running past what appeared to be his deceased son before embracing Arab party leader Mansour Abbas. The video was later modified after criticism.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir shared a video portraying Gazans as donkeys being "herded" to Paris. Ben-Gvir has called for the ethnic cleansing of Gaza and frequently targets Palestinians in political stunts. Both Netanyahu and Ben-Gvir's campaigns have used bots to amplify their messaging.

The online campaign has intensified political divisions, with AI and data management being used to cement "affective polarization" - entrenching political blocs and increasing animosity toward opponents.

Turnout crucial

The election outcome likely depends on voter turnout, which varies significantly between different demographic groups. Secular cities like Tel Aviv and Haifa typically see only 60% turnout, while cities with large Haredi populations such as Jerusalem and Bnei Brak report 80-85% participation.

Privacy concerns are particularly acute for Palestinian citizens of Israel, who make up about 20% of the population and already face heavy monitoring of their political activities. Israel's military has deployed facial recognition technology for data collection in parts of the occupied West Bank.