the opposition, among others, who criticized the government’s response were subject to
administrative detention for their social media posts (Azerbaijan Internet Watch, 2020b).
Table 2: Observed Strategies, Tools and Techniques of Social Media Manipulation in
Azerbaijan
Account Types Messaging and Valence
Content
and Platforms
Communication
Strategies
Automation,
human
Fake, hacked, and
real accounts
Pro-government, pro-party
Creation of disinformation, Twitter, YouTube,
messages, Attacks on
Mass Reporting Content,
Instagram
opposition, Driving
Trolls, Amplifying content
division/polarization,
Suppressing speech
Source: Authors’ evaluations based on data collected. Blank spaces indicate no evidence was found.
Organizational Capacity and Resources
There is no detailed information about the organizational capacity and resources of cyber
troops in Azerbaijan. However, as Geybulla (2016) states, volunteer work with IRELI was
viewed as an entrance route for roles in public administration.
Activities are persistent but, according to Muntezir, the troll network deployed by Azerbaijan
is ineffective and unprofessional. Social media accounts are visibly fake, with no pictures or
history, and content is directly retrieved from Ilham Aliyev’s speeches. He also mentions that
there is evidence that trolls are asked to compile reports with content and screenshots of their
comments. Orders about requested attacks are given via WhatsApp groups (Djalilov, 2019)
and other platforms.
Table 3: Cyber Troop Capacity in Azerbaijan
Team Size
Resources
Spent Activity Levels
(USD)
-
-
Coordination
Capacity
Measure
Permanent
Reporting
Medium
requirements,
organization via
WhatsApp and other
platforms.
Source: Authors’ evaluations based on data collected. Blank spaces indicate no evidence was found.
References
Activist’s YouTube channel down. (2019, December 5). [Azerbaijan Internet Watch].
https://www.az-netwatch.org/news/activists-youtube-channel-down/
Artsakh official warns of Azerbaijani fake news in Armenian groups on Facebook. (2020,
January 10). https://www.panorama.am/en/news/2020/01/10/Artsakh-officialAzerbaijani-fake-news/2220801
AZ News Staff. (2011, June 8). News.Az—Ireli youth union focusing on IT.
https://news.az/articles/society/38037
Azerbaijan Internet Watch. (2019, December 1). Political leader’s Instagram page down
[Azerbaijan Internet Watch]. https://www.az-netwatch.org/news/political-leadersinstagram-page-down/
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