Project Birmingham (disinformation campaign)

Project Birmingham was a 2017 disinformation campaign in the United States, resembling Russia's 2016 election interference, aimed at undermining support for Roy Moore during his US Senate campaign against Doug Jones in the 2017 United States Senate special election in Alabama.[1] The project operators, Americans, posed as conservative Alabamians, creating misleading Facebook pages to urge Republican voters to support write-in candidates instead of Moore and spurring misleading news headlines that Twitter bots, potentially linked to Russia, were supporting Moore.[2][3] The project was partially funded by billionaire Reid Hoffman, who acknowledged the contribution, but said he was unaware it was part of an effort to create disinformation. According to Steve Marshall, Alabama's Attorney General, the project had an impact on the election, and he launched an investigatory probe.[4] Democratic Party operatives and a research firm "known to have roles in Project Birmingham" attempted to distance themselves from the project's tactics.[5]

References
  1. Cornish, Audie. "How 'Project Birmingham' Spread Misinformation In The 2017 Alabama Senate Election". NPR. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  2. Welch, Chris. "LinkedIn co-founder says he unknowingly backed disinformation effort in Alabama Senate race". The Verge. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  3. Shane, Scott. "Secret Experiment in Alabama Senate Race Imitated Russian Tactics". The New York Times. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  4. Beavers, Olivia. "Alabama attorney general looking into disinformation campaign targeting Roy Moore". The Hill. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  5. Timberg, Craig. "Secret campaign to use Russian-inspired tactics in 2017 Ala. election stirs anxiety from Democrats". The Washington Post. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
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