Tal Hanan, a former Israeli special forces agent aged 50, operating under the alias ‘Jorge’, has been accused of manipulating over 30 elections worldwide using hacking, sabotage, and automated misinformation on social media, according to The Guardian. He leads a highly secretive hacking group known as the ‘Jorge Team’ which manages numerous fake accounts on social platforms, offering services globally including election interference, spreading disinformation, and online sabotage. A secretly recorded video by undercover journalists showed Hanan and his team explaining how they obtain sensitive information on political opponents and plant fake stories in newsrooms amplified by special software. The team accepts various payment forms including cryptocurrencies, charging between 6 and 15 million euros per election intervention. Hanan claimed participation in 33 presidential elections with success in 27. The investigation, involving journalists from 30 media outlets coordinated by Forbidden Stories, highlights a growing clandestine misinformation industry threatening democracies worldwide.

The group uses advanced software called ‘Aims’ to control vast numbers of fake accounts across platforms like X, LinkedIn, Facebook, Telegram, Gmail, Instagram, and YouTube, some even linked to Amazon accounts, credit cards, Bitcoin wallets, and Airbnb profiles. Their tactics include hacking Gmail and Telegram accounts and spreading fake content through legitimate media, often to sabotage rival campaigns. The scandal raises diplomatic concerns for Israel amid increasing pressure over cyber weapons exports undermining democracy and human rights. The investigation also connects Hanan to the infamous Cambridge Analytica scandal, revealing ties to secret Israeli hacking operations known as ‘opposition research’.