AI-generated disinformation network from Vietnam targets Australian politics
A network of Facebook pages operated from Vietnam spread AI-generated disinformation targeting Australian politics and athletes from mid-2025 onwards, mixing fabricated claims with real news to drive engagement and ad revenue. Meta removed 13 such pages in March 2026 after investigation by Agence France-Presse revealed the operation.
What happened
Starting in mid-2025, Facebook pages managed from Vietnam with names like Swimming Secrets and Tennis Triumph began spreading disinformation about Australian politics and athletes. The pages initially mimicked fan accounts posting athlete updates while mixing in falsehoods, such as claims that Australian swimmer Mollie O'Callaghan would forgo the next Olympics if a trans athlete were allowed to compete.
Several accounts run by users in Vietnam, boasting tens of thousands of followers, later shifted focus solely to Australian national politics, linking to websites full of AI-generated articles and advertisements. Posts mixed actual news with fabrications, with some receiving thousands of shares.
Reported impact
The disinformation targeted Australian political figures and debates. Among the most widespread claims was that far-right politician Pauline Hanson had launched a $12 million lawsuit against Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's Labor Party, and another false claim that Hanson read Foreign Minister Penny Wong's record on live TV on CNN.
Index analysis
Analyst Giano Libot described the websites as displaying "almost industrial level forms of misinformation", designed for algorithms in search engines to pick up. The network operates from Vietnam, where low labour and electricity costs have bred a cottage industry of click farming via social media.
Jeannie Paterson, co-director of the University of Melbourne's Centre of AI and Digital Ethics, said the purpose of the disinformation was often not to benefit a particular party but to destabilise communities and create an era of distrust. She noted that Australia's increasing polarisation made it an ideal target for such destabilisation exercises.
Governance controls
Meta removed 13 pages in March 2026 after Agence France-Presse contacted the company for comment, citing site violations. The network was identified by AFP's investigation tracking over a dozen sports and human interest pages promoting the mixed content.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.