Rise of the Syriabots: Syrian Loyalists Flood Twitter with Propaganda

During the unrest sweeping across the Middle East and North Africa, social networking sites have become forums for pro-revolutionary forces to gather information and support for their causes. But while the rebels and their supporters have gained ground, they’ve had to contend with pro-government forces staking their claim in the virtual sphere as well. Jillian York, Project Coordinator for the OpenNet Initiative at Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society, wrote a piece about Syriabotting in yesterday’s edition of The Guardian. Anas Qteish, a Syrian blogger based in Boston says he’s been spammed repeatedly by pro-government ‘forces’ in the past few weeks.