At least 265 local fake media outlets across 65 countries are managed by an “Indian influence network”, according to the EU Disinfo Lab, an independent platform fighting disinformation related to the European Union.

In a study released yesterday, EU Disinfo Lab said most of these websites are named after extinct local newspapers or spoof real media outlets. It cites the following reasons for the existence of these sites: “to influence international institutions and elected representatives with coverage of specific events and demonstrations; provide NGOs with useful press material to reinforce their credibility and thus be impactful; add several layers of media outlets that quote and republish one another, making it harder for the reader to trace the manipulation, and in turn (sometimes) offer a ‘mirage’ of international support; influence public perceptions on Pakistan by multiplying iterations of the same content available on search engines.”

It cites the example of EP Today, a publication that syndicates Russian and American propaganda, gives space to pro-India content, and has links to the Srivastava Group, which runs New Delhi Times. EP Today has the same IP address as an organisation called the Institute for Non-Aligned Studies, which organised the unofficial visit to Kashmir of 23 Members of European Parliament, many of whom have far right affiliations. Newslaundry reported at the time that at least two of the 23 MEPs had earlier been accused of being a part of “fake observation missions”.

Update: This report has been updated to describe more accurately the nature and work of the media outlets covered by the Disinfo Lab’s study. They are fake media outlets which often scrape news from credible media organisations and not necessarily “fake news websites”.