The Case of the Pfizer Influencer Disinformation Operation

A London-based PR agency that traces back to Moscow offered European influencers cash to attack brand-name vaccines.

A London-based PR agency offered French influencers cash to launder disinformation about the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines [1]. Information laundering is when the source of information is concealed by the messenger, like when US outlets publish stories for foreign state-controlled media outlets.

The agency asks them to claim the vaccinations falsely are responsible for hundreds of deaths and to urge others to “draw their own conclusions.”

A French YouTuber, Dirty Biology, who has 1.2 million subscribers, tweeted about the offer. For non-French-speaking readers, this translates to:

It’s strange. I received a partnership proposal which consists in breaking down the Pfizer vaccine on video. Colossal budget, client who wants to remain incognito and you have to hide the sponsorship. Ethics / 20. If you see any videos of it you’ll know it’s an op, then.

Additional tweets state:

I know this is bread and butter for conspirators, but hey it seems important to me to show that your favorite YouTubers / Tiktokers may be the spokespersons for what appears to be a trade dispute in this specific case (I guess)

Flemme to be the guy who validates a rotten thing thanks to the…