Fake social media accounts are mysteriously boosting Becerras marketing campaign, report claims | Latest Tech News
Democratic California gubernatorial candidates Xavier Becerra and Tom Steyer are both under accusations they improperly paid social media influencers to enhance their bids — but another entrance in the social media wars between the 2 around faux accounts is also underway, a report claims.
More than 3,000 faux accounts across Instagram, X and Facebook are boosting former Health and Human Services secretary Becerra while attacking billionaire Steyer, according to an analysis by Cyabra, an AI-powered disinformation security company. It’s used by purchasers like NATO and the US Department of State, its web site said.
From left, Betty Yee, Steve Hilton, Xavier Becerra and Tom Steyer attend a gubernatorial candidate discussion board in Sacramento. AP
The analysis, which was shared with The Post, alleges a “coordinated cross-platform effort to amplify negative narratives and increase online visibility” — though it notably doesn’t draw any conclusions about who could also be controlling the accounts and why.
The alleged faux accounts’ exercise drove more than a million views and around 42,000 engagements, per the report.
The accounts centered on pro-Becerra messaging that tried to create a notion of grassroots help, the report alleged. Many centered on criticizing Steyer, such as his cost to influencer Carlos Eduardo Espina.
One account, for occasion, shared a Breitbart article on Steyer’s “extremely radical” immigration platform. The account joined X October 22, but is based in Austria.
The Steyer post appeared out of the blue for the Austraia-based account, however, as it principally has centered on posting on European news in German language.
Another account with no profile image or cowl image claimed, in response to a tweet on the governor’s race’s betting odds, that “Steyer wants to buy the Presidency. He tried & failed before.” That April 2026 tweet appeared to be an error as the billionaire — who did run for president in 2020 — is now operating for the governorship.
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The account, which says it’s based in D.C. and joined December 2016, has been posting or reposting anti-Trump and pro-Democratic content on a constant foundation.
Jonathan Underland, a Becerra marketing campaign spokesperson, dismissed any suggestion that he was benefiting from faux social media accounts and pointed at rival Steyer’s heavy spending in the ultimate weeks of the race.
“Steyer’s campaign is spinning plates to hide the cracks — creating as much chaos as possible before their finance reports publish tonight and their unethical scheme to buy this election is exposed,” Underland said.
Tom Steyer is a disgusting human being which we don’t need in California or in all 50 States. Xavier Becerra is the real deal, I used to be hesitant at first so I attended a city corridor assembly, I noticed him, his household and many others. voted for him already for expertise
— Tina Gehrer (@BluCalGir) May 18, 2026
Cyabra instructed many of the flagged accounts might be tied to a “coordinated political network.” The company regarded at the accounts’ 2024 actions, and at least 80% of them have been energetic in discussions around the 2024 presidential election, significantly amplifying pro-Democratic content and utilizing the same messaging and phrases, such as “MAGA threat.”
The fact such comparable accounts all shifted to commenting on a more local, California-focused race attacking one candidate is telling, said John Kwatakye-Atiko, a PR professional who has studied digital manipulation.
Kwatakye-Atiko, who isn’t affiliated with Cyabra, told The Post that he’s seen numerous efforts by social media managers shifting different accounts to smear a sure particular person or group. He was initially skeptical of the analysis until he noticed the pattern from national to California dialog.
Xavier Becerra Noah Berger for CA Post
“Let’s say you get on a plane and you meet 20 other passengers on that plane, right? You got the flight from LA to New York City. What’s the possibility that next year at the exact same time you get on that plane again, all those 20 people on that same plane again, sitting right next to you the way they were last time?” he said. “That’s virtually impossible.”
Kaivon Shroff, a media and tradition commentator who labored on the digital workforce for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential marketing campaign, told The Post that many faux accounts usually have telling options, such as low follower rely, current creation date, or suspicious posting exercise.
Many of the accounts flagged in the report are seemingly faux, Shroff said.
Are you being paid $$$$? I don’t imagine you. Tom Steyer doesn’t care voters lives, he lies, pays influencers to post videos and tweets. pic.twitter.com/dRUI4mxpSj
— Tina Gehrer (@BluCalGir) May 16, 2026
However, he was suspicious of the coordination claims and famous the supposed affect — a million views — don’t imply a lot in this media setting.
“I do think that is a stretch. It may be true in fact, but they haven’t proven it with what’s in this report,” Shroff said on the claims.
Tom Steyer Noah Berger for CA Post
“They haven’t identified the source of this, who’s behind it, anything like that, that would allow you to credibly say this was a centralized, coordinated effort,” he added. Such evidence needed could be one thing like IP-level data or direct messages, he said.
Cyabra said it stood by its analysis.
“Cyabra identifies coordinated inauthentic behavior through the convergence of multiple signals across the same network of accounts. No single signal is definitive on its own,” a company spokesperson told the Post. “We look for patterns such as synchronized posting, repeated language and hashtags, overlapping engagement behavior, and account authenticity markers that consistently point to coordination.”
The broader affect of social media on the gubernatorial election has generated controversy as Steyer and Becerra accuse each other of improper online affect.
The Becerra workforce has denied it ever made funds to a creator in exchange for a post. Steyer’s workforce said it has but correctly warned all influencers of correct disclosure necessities.
Becerra is the current Democratic frontrunner in the June 2 major, while Steyer is making an attempt to wrest that place from not too far behind.
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