Organizational Capacity and Resources
Computational propaganda techniques in Colombia have mostly been observed during election
campaigns. However, there is also presence of both pro-government and anti-government
cyber troops in moments of crisis, as a way to (re)shape debate (Digital Forensic Research Lab,
2019a).
In the case of a pro-government WhatsApp group that coordinated actions on Twitter in late
2019, the team was comprised of public servants working across different departments, such
as a consul, the advisor for Innovation and Digital Transformation, Senators’ advisors, as well
as individuals affiliated to the Centro Democrático party, such as its Coordinator of Youth and
previous candidates for local elections. They numbered at least eighty-eight in September 2019.
Two people acted as administrators of the WhatsApp group and one as moderator. The
moderator sent information about each campaign, such as suggested hashtags and content or
immediate results. Moreover, there is evidence that before the creation of the WhatsApp group,
members were invited to an event at a Hilton hotel about tools for social media impact (La Liga
Contra el Silencio, 2020).
Table 3: Cyber Troop Capacity in Colombia
Team Size
Resources
Spent Activity Levels
(USD)
<= 88
Temporary
Coordination
-
Capacity
Measure
Low
(2019)
Source: Authors’ evaluations based on data collected. Blank spaces indicate no evidence was found.
References
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Argüello, L. B., Donara Barojan, Roberta Braga, Jose Luis Peñarredonda, Maria Fernanda
Pérez. (s. f.). Disinformation in Democracies: Strengthening Digital Resilience in Latin
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https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/publications/reports/disinformation-democraciesstrengthening-digital-resilience-latin-america
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