Algerian troll network allegedly operated to destabilize France

Friday 18 July 2025 - 10:31

Amid escalating diplomatic strain following French President Emmanuel Macron’s July 2024 recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Sahara, a confidential Viginum report has revealed the existence of a coordinated troll network linked to Algerian authorities targeting French public discourse.

According to the confidential note, shared with the French Prime Minister in June 2025, thousands of fake pro-Algerian accounts published nearly identical messages on platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube, with staggering volume: 4,652 posts and 55 videos alleging a supposed DGSE conspiracy against Algeria, all in just 20 days in December 2024. Another campaign between 17–20 January 2025 pushed for a boycott of French brands such as Peugeot, Tefal, and Lacoste.

The network, according to reports, is believed to be orchestrated by the Onplitic unit under Algeria’s Ministry of Defence, with digital traces linking back to a state-affiliated email server.

French agency Viginum, tasked with countering foreign digital manipulation, detected these operations based on content duplication, saturation, and synchronous publication patterns—all hallmarks of inauthentic coordinated behavior.

This digital information offensive is part of a broader campaign of political hostilities that include the imprisonment of prominent Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, refusal to readmit expelled Algerian nationals from France, and campaigns by pro-regime influencers inciting violence in French territory. These actions underscore a strategic attempt by Algerian authorities to leverage online platforms in destabilizing France politically and socially.