Track! Suspicious site claiming to be from Japanese media, who and why?

``Ginza Shimbun'', ``Today's Fukui'', and ``Fukuoka Shimbun''

appear to be news sites that convey information about the region, but even though they are in ``Fukui,'' they often publish news from Fukuoka Prefecture, and news in English mixed in with Japanese. There are some strange things about it.

Also, for some reason, I noticed an advertisement for crypto assets.

Explanations to encourage purchase and links to purchase are also included.

Furthermore, the listed contact information for the ``editorial department'' has many suspicious points, such as an unused phone number and a non-existent email address.

At least 10 suspicious sites claiming to be ``Japanese news media'' were discovered.

I tracked who was running it and why.

My phone number is randomly...

middle of February.

The reporting team was in a village in Gunma Prefecture.

They were looking for the owner of a phone number listed as a "call center" for a suspicious website claiming to be from a news media organization.

The site claimed to be a "Fukui" media outlet, but when I looked it up in the telephone directory, the corresponding address was somehow in Gunma Prefecture.

reporter covering

Based on the address, I visited a house and an elderly man appeared at the front door.

``Have you seen this news site?''

To our question, he replied with a quizzical look on his face.

"No. Here's my phone number, but..."

It seemed like he had no idea at all.

Someone had used the man's phone number as the site's contact information without permission.

“Suspicious sites” confirmed around the world

At the beginning of last month, it was revealed that these suspicious sites claiming to be media outlets were appearing all over the world.

The person who found it was Alberto Fittarelli, a senior researcher at the Canadian research institute Citizen Lab, who investigates and researches disinformation.

The trigger was a suspicious website found in Italy.

An Italian newspaper reported that several suspicious sites were discovered claiming to be local media and distributing fake information and news with biased opinions.

Fittarelli researched websites around the world and found 123 sites in 30 countries.

They point out that they use the country's language and real place names to pretend to be media that is likely to be found in that country.

Of the 30 countries, Japan was the first to establish a site, with 15 sites, the second most after South Korea.

At first glance, the names of sites created in Japanese look like Japanese news media, such as ``Ginza Shimbun'', ``Today's Fukui'', and ``Fukuoka Shimbun''.

So many articles, where on earth did they come from?

When I accessed these 15 Japanese sites, I found articles that were almost the same as those found on domestic media news sites, ranging from sports to entertainment to local topics.

*Experts urge people not to access it.

The latest topics are delivered every day, and the articles and photos are all based on actual events.

Looking at past history, some articles were dated more than four years ago.

However, when I searched for the article's title and text description on the Internet, I found several online articles with the exact same title in the search results.

Isn't this just using another company's article?

We decided to track the actual situation from public information.

Analyzing data from 100,000 published articles

What caught my attention was the "link information" embedded in the article.

You can find out from which server the text and images of an article are being distributed.

We collected data on more than 100,000 articles published on 11 sites that were accessible in late February and analyzed link information.

Interview team

When we tallied up which servers the images of each article were distributed from, we found that almost all of the articles published on 10 out of 11 sites used images distributed by other media outlets. Understood.

Looking at the sources of the images, we found that in addition to major Japanese news sites, they were also internet media outlets that cover industry news such as IT, sports, and automobiles.

When we informed a Japanese news site that the image had been used in a total of approximately 7,000 articles, the largest number of the data we analyzed, we learned that these articles had been reprinted from their own website without permission. He commented as follows:

The news media where the article was used said, ``

This is an unauthorized reprint without permission from our company.It infringes on the copyright of our company and our collaborators. Depending on the severity, we will consider filing criminal charges."

Furthermore, it was discovered that the images were also distributed from NHK's news site, and the titles and images were used in at least 1,200 articles.

NHK article reprinted in fake news media

These suspicious sites were actually ``fake news media,'' using articles from other companies to pretend to be real media.

The reprinted media

Some media outlets were aware of the unauthorized reproduction and were taking measures.

"German News Digest" distributes information to Japanese people living in Germany.

Looking at the data, at least 178 articles were used.

reporter covering

When I spoke to the person in charge of the site, they said that three years ago, around January 2021, they noticed that an article published by their company in the Fukuoka Shimbun, a fake news media, was being reprinted without permission.

When I investigated, I discovered that articles and photos were automatically reprinted, so I blocked the communication to prevent them from being reprinted.

Although reprinting stopped for a while, in January this year, fake news media changed their ``IP addresses,'' which correspond to addresses on the Internet, and their own articles started being reprinted again.

I contacted the email listed as contact information directly to request deletion, but received an error message.

Right now, he is left in a state where there is nothing he can do.

German News Digest Rep

: ``We're really in trouble because we publish purchased images and images taken by individuals as copyrighted works of our company.Even if we block them, the other party keeps changing their IP address, and it becomes like a cat-and-mouse game.'' I wish we could fundamentally solve this problem, but I don't know what to do."

Track!

Who and why?

Who is running a site like this and why?

Several sites listed phone numbers and email addresses for ``contact information'' or ``call centers.''

One of them was a house in Gunma Prefecture that had no connection to the one I visited at the beginning.

I tried calling other contacts, but all the numbers were no longer in use.

As the investigation progressed further, the call was connected to a number registered as a contact number for the fake news media ``Ginza Shimbun,'' which had used NHK's articles.

A woman answered the phone.

When I told her I wanted to ask her about an article on the site, she said she didn't know what it was.

The number belonged to the office of a Tokyo-affiliated organization in Shinjuku, Tokyo, which she said also had no ties to the fake news media.

Digital investigation of site background

In order to investigate in detail to see if there was any information that could lead to the operator, we requested the cooperation of Yokohama City's security company Macnica.

After analyzing the website information, we found that all 15 of these Japanese sites originated from a single IP address.

The IP address was provided by an overseas server operator.

Furthermore, a detailed analysis of the traces of the programs that made up the site revealed that the user name used by the user who built the site was also the same.

In other words, it is likely that the same person or group is involved in the installation or operation of all 15 sites.

However, no further clues were found leading to the name or address of the individual or group.

On the other hand, the surveyed experts pointed out the dangers of accessing these sites as follows:

Macnica Security Engineer Yuji Kaketani

: ``Although no viruses were found on the site, there is a risk that you may be redirected to a fraudulent site without realizing it, so please refrain from accessing it indiscriminately.''

Fake sites around the world: Are “specific countries/organizations” involved?

Who exactly is the site operator?

Fittarelli of Citizen Lab, who discovered the site, claims that certain countries and groups are involved in running fake news media.

An analysis of the content of the article reveals that there is a tone of criticism of individuals who have pointed to a specific country as the origin of the new coronavirus, and a conspiracy that some countries are attempting to conduct inhumane biological experiments on foreign residents. It is said that there is a certain amount of bias in the publication of the article.

When we investigated the advertising IDs used to distribute advertisements posted on fake news sites, we found that some sites used a common ID. It has been pointed out that a PR company was involved.

Judging from this information, Fittarelli argues that these fake news media may have been established as part of a "digital influence operation" by specific countries or groups to influence public opinion through the internet. There is.

``Citizen Lab'' Alberto Fittarelli `

`We believe that these sites are operated by companies headquartered in China.They are building sites for specific demographics and gradually spreading them, and are trying to create political and There is a possibility that the content was intended to be leaked.”

On the other hand, when we attempted to interview a PR company in Shenzhen, China, we received a short email response.

"We have not directly confirmed the report. It is a mistake to assume that we are involved, and I don't understand why you would ask such a question."

After that, I contacted them by phone and email, but there was no response.

Is it a fake article even in Japanese?

Were Japanese fake news media also distributing articles aimed at influencing public opinion?

The reporting team investigated and found that multiple fake news media had published articles claiming, without providing any clear evidence, that ``there was an accident in which radioactive materials leaked from an American warship anchored in Yokosuka.'' Ta.

Fake articles from fake news media

However, when interviewed by Yokosuka City, they denied the information, saying, ``We have not confirmed any such fact,'' and it became clear that the information appears to be a fake.

On the other hand, there were some topics that were shared by multiple fake news media.

At least 7,000 articles were used from sites that distribute advertisements and press releases in English and Japanese about crypto assets and investments.

Explanations encouraging investment in crypto assets and stocks and links to purchase were repeatedly introduced.

Regarding the misuse of fake information, in January of this year, false information regarding the crypto asset Bitcoin was circulated, causing an unusual situation in which the price fluctuated wildly and disrupted the market, as well as manipulation of the economy and stock prices. There are concerns.

What is “digital influence operations”?

What is the purpose of fake news media?

We spoke to Professor Takamichi Saito of Meiji University's Faculty of Science and Engineering, an expert on cybersecurity, to find out what the "digital influence operations" that Mr. Fittarelli claims to be aiming for are.

Professor Takamichi Saito, Faculty of Science and Technology

, Meiji University: ``It's about guiding people's thinking and behavior in a certain direction through SNS and the Internet, and the method is similar to online marketing and commercials.'Digital influence work' is a type of internet marketing. In addition to this method, it is known that humans' ability to perceive information is exploited to achieve political objectives.

Digital public opinion manipulation began to attract attention during the 2016 U.S. presidential election, when a method similar to the site disseminating false information discovered this time was reportedly used.

Professor Takamichi Saito

: ``At that time, scandals and fake information about candidate Hillary Clinton were spread through SNS and the Internet, but many sites that spread fake information were launched in advance.People who learned about the scandal on SNS etc. These sites were designed to appear when the user did so, and were used to increase the credibility of the scandal.The purpose and background of this fake news site is unknown, but it may have been set up for that purpose. do not have"

When searching for a specific story online, some people may feel that the information is reliable even if the information is incorrect or biased because multiple similar information is displayed as search results. Professor Saito pointed out that there is.

In fact, when searching the internet for article titles from the Japanese fake news media found this time, there were cases in which only fake news sites were displayed at the top of the list, with older articles not displaying the original news site. .

Although no articles with a political tone were found, articles about investments and fake articles are still being published, and the risk of being searched and directed cannot be denied.

How can I protect myself?

Are there any countermeasures against the appearance of fake news media that lead people to a particular opinion?

Kendo Yuasa, a full-time professor at Meiji University's Graduate School of Public Policy who is familiar with digital legal systems, points out that there are several possible methods in Japan.

Meiji University Graduate School of Public Policy Professor Kendo Yuasa: ``

For information that clearly infringes copyright or violates the law, such as defaming someone's reputation, we ask the provider to delete it or provide operator information. Disclosure requests can be made.Furthermore, the Public Offices Election Act imposes penalties on statements that publish false facts about a particular candidate or political party during an election period, and there are also penalties for statements that publish false facts about a particular candidate or political party during an election period, and for those who try to manipulate stock prices or corporate performance. Intentionally leaked information is prohibited under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act and is subject to crackdowns.

On the other hand, he pointed out that there must also be a balance with the freedom to express opinions online.

Professor Kendo Yuasa

: ``Expressive acts on the Internet are related not only to ``freedom of expression,'' but also to constitutional provisions such as the ``right to know'' and ``prohibition of censorship.'' The constitution clearly stipulates that censorship is not allowed, such as stop or do not stop.On the other hand, in order to avoid foreign interference in Japanese public opinion, foreign capital in the media is regulated. Furthermore, regarding "freedom of expression," for example in Germany, due to historical circumstances, it is generally understood that there is no such thing as "freedom of expression" that would destroy democracy.There are two contradictory viewpoints. The challenge is how to balance the two."

He then talks about what each of us can do:

``It is important to be aware that the information on the internet is a mixture of truth and fake, and to be careful not to become an ``information eater'' who only consumes specific information. It's important to recognize that there are people who think this way, even if they don't agree with your way of thinking."

We will be broadcasting the news on "Saturday Watch 9" (from 8:55 p.m.), which will be broadcast on March 2nd, with commentary from reporters.

saturday watch 9

It will be broadcast on Saturday Watch 9 on March 2nd.

It will be broadcast on NHK Plus for one week after the broadcast (until March 9th).

(Research team that won't be fooled by digital: Sachiyo Sugita, Naoya Saito, Chiharu Kinukawa, Tatsuro Imino)