Israeli businessman
Tal Hanan
Born 1973 (age 51–52)Israel
Occupation(s) Special forces operator, businessman Known for Team Jorge disinformation unit
Tal Hanan (Hebrew : טל חנן ; born in 1973), also known by his code name Jorge , is an Israeli businessman and former special forces operator who has been involved in disinformation campaigns in order to manipulate elections in several countries.[ 1] Hanan's organisation Team Jorge has, for instance, attempted to influence the 2015 Nigerian general election in collaboration with Cambridge Analytica .[ 2] [ 3] [ 4]
The group operate a software called AIMS for creating fake online accounts on social media networks and using them to spread fake news .[ 5]
Tal Hanan's operation was the subject of an undercover investigation conducted by journalists from TheMarker , Radio France , and Haaretz in Israel working together with the journalism organization Forbidden Stories .[ 6] It was then jointly reported in The Guardian , Le Monde , Haaretz , Der Spiegel and others in February 2023. Hanan has denied any wrongdoing.[ 7]
^ Meggido, Gur; Benjakob, Omer (2012-02-14). "The Israelis destabilizing democracy and disrupting elections worldwide" . Haaretz . Retrieved 2023-02-16 .
^ Kirchgaessner, Stephanie; Cadwalladr, Carole ; Lewis, Paul ; Burke, Jason (2023-02-16). "Dark arts of politics: how 'Team Jorge' and Cambridge Analytica meddled in Nigerian election" . The Guardian . ISSN 0261-3077 . Retrieved 2023-02-17 .
^ Megiddo, Gur; Benjakob, Omer. "Cambridge Analytica's Israeli Black Ops Team – Exposed at Last" . Haaretz . Retrieved 2023-02-17 .
^ Leloup, Damien; Reynaud, Florian (2023-02-15). "Révélations sur Team Jorge, des mercenaires de la désinformation opérant dans le monde entier" . Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 2023-02-17 .
^ Benjakob, Omer; Megiddo, Gur. "Hacking, Extortion, Election Interference: These Are the Tools Used by Israel's Agents of Chaos and Manipulation" . Haaretz . Retrieved 2023-02-17 .
^ Andrzejewski, Cécile. " "Team Jorge": In the heart of a global disinformation machine • Forbidden Stories" . forbiddenstories.org . Retrieved 2023-02-17 .
^ Kirchgaessner, Stephanie; Ganguly, Manisha ; Pegg, David; Cadwalladr, Carole ; Burke, Jason (15 February 2023). "Revealed: the hacking and disinformation team meddling in elections" . The Guardian . Retrieved 15 February 2023 .