The network of Facebook campaigns overseen by staff of Sir Lynton Crosby’s CTF Partners span topics ranging from Brexit to Saudi Arabia. The firm has declined to comment on its methods or clients, but said employees always operate within the law and accused the Guardian of relying on “false or distorted facts”.
Mainstream Network
The unbranded pro-Brexit page, which was one of the biggest political advertisers on Facebook in 2018, is estimated to have reached around 10 million people with its relentless opposition to Theresa May’s Brexit deal.
Earlier this year the Guardian revealed that the page, along with many other pro-Brexit pages with names such as Britain’s Future and We Are the 52%, were being overseen by employees of CTF Partners through a single shared interface. Others had generic names and purported to be news sources such as Fintech Britain and UK Education.
It has never been revealed who picked up the enormous bill for running pro-Brexit Facebook adverts on the pages, which echoed the messaging used by Boris Johnson in advance of his bid to become the Conservative party leader. The information commissioner is continuing to investigate Mainstream Network for potential data misuse.
GreenWatch
Several of the Crosby-linked groups purported to be scrutinising activists who back regulation. One such site was GreenWatch, which, in addition to its Facebook page, had a standalone website and Twitter account which criticised environmental causes. On the page it attacked the BBC’s reporting on biomass by “everyone’s least favourite licence fee-charging broadcasting corporation” as “hot air”, mocked malfunctioning wind turbines, and repeatedly criticised electric car pioneer Elon Musk.
Free and Fair Zimbabwe Election
The self-declared “leading independent news source for politics, policy and elections in Zimbabwe” was part of CTF’s disinformation network, despite presenting itself as a trusted news source with 330,000 followers. The page was deleted after the Guardian began making inquiries.
Similar pages with names such as Inside Mauritania and FactCheck Sri Lanka dealt with contentious political issues in those countries, again without revealing who was ultimately running or funding them.
KSA in UK
This page with 230,000 followers describes itself as a resource for Britons interested in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, posting relentlessly upbeat content about the liberalisation of Saudi Arabia with hashtags such as #SaudiGirlPower.
“We are expat Saudis living, working, learning and enjoying the United Kingdom,” it states. “We like MBS [Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman] and the direction he’s taking the country. We’ve created a common place to share stuff about our two countries.”
The page does not mention that it was part of a Facebook network overseen by CTF staff, which also included supposedly independent news sources such as Reporting Yemen, Iran in Focus - all covering issues which align closely with the foreign policy of Saudi Arabia, which was a key CTF client. One page entitled Middle East diplomat said it encouraged discussion, saying: “The Middle East is the hotbed of diplomatic complexity - join us here to discuss the main issues that are playing out and what they mean for you.”
Square Mile Cycling and Londoners for Transport
Square Mile Cycling appears to be a grassroots group campaigning for a new cycle lane through the City of London, collecting signatures and taking part in public consultations.
However, Square Mile Cycling group was overseen by the same CTF staff who were also looking after two astroturfed pages named Londoners for Transport and Unblock the Embankment which wanted to rip up the existing lane along London’s Embankment.
Sources within CTF said that Canary Wharf Group was funding the apparently contradictory campaigns. The company, a longtime opponent of the central London cycle lane, declined to comment.
