JUST IN: A lucrative market behind fake news with millions of views
World News Update:
Global attention remains focused on this evolving story as officials and analysts assess the broader implications.
In December 2025, French President Emmanuel Macron explained that an African president contacted him after believing that a coup d’état had taken place in France. The reason? A video generated by artificial intelligence (AI) posted on Facebook by a young man from Burkina Faso. The creator of the video, which received more than ten million views, was contacted by the newspaper Le Monde and explained that he simply wanted to make money. More recently, in late April, CBC News and Radio-Canada revealed that a network of YouTube channels spreading misinformation and advocating for Alberta independence was actually run by creators based in the Netherlands. To create their sensational and misleading videos, the creators hired actors and used artificial intelligence, without ever showing their faces. The network has accumulated 40 million views. Their only motivation, once again, seems to be profit, thanks to YouTube monetization. To display this YouTube content, you must allow advertising and audience measurement cookies. Accept Manage my options An extension in your browser appears to be blocking the video player from loading. In order to view this content, you must disable it on this site. Retry Frame of the report on AI and misinformation. © France 24 The disinformation market The proliferation of disinformation on social networks is not only due to actors with geopolitical or ideological objectives: sometimes, the ambitions are purely financial. Carlos Díaz Ruiz, author of “Market-Oriented Disinformation Research,” which analyzes the disinformation market, believes that to best combat this practice, this ecosystem should be considered a market in itself, “rather than an occasional aberration caused by some villain.” “If we understand this phenomenon as a system that generates benefits for many players, it is much easier to regulate it” “A system that rewards attention above all else” The social media system is designed in such a way that influencers are forced to produce increasingly extreme content to maintain their audience week after week and, therefore, their income. “When you pay content creators to produce highly engaging content, you create a system that primarily rewards attention. And we know that this attention is captured through spectacular content or through anxiety and fear,” explains Carlos Díaz Ruiz. Posting sensationalist or alarmist misinformation is even rewarded by algorithms, according to a recent report from the SIMODS research project, which analyzes online misinformation on major platforms. The study estimates, for example, that on YouTube, an account that regularly posts false or misleading content receives eleven times more engagement than a credible source with the same number of subscribers. On X, interaction is approximately ten times higher, and on Facebook, nine times higher. Instagram and TikTok obtain slightly better results, with ratios of four and two, respectively. Only LinkedIn seems to avoid this problem. Ads distributed opaquely For influencers, every view, every click, every interaction means more money from advertisers. “Most influencers don’t make a lot of money, but for some it is very profitable,” says Carlos Díaz Ruiz. This attention economy is fueled by advertising, on which the platforms’ profits are based. “We call them ‘technological giants’, because we consider them technology companies, a neutral term. But if we analyze their business model, they are actually advertising agencies. Their income comes from both advertising and the brands, companies and individuals that use their services,” says the expert in marketing strategy and market structuring. To display this YouTube content, you must allow advertising and audience measurement cookies. Accept Manage my options An extension in your browser appears to be blocking the video player from loading. In order to view this content, you must disable it on this site. Retry (File): In this illustration taken on December 9, 2025, the Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Facebook, Twitch and Reddit apps are shown on a mobile phone. REUTERS – Hollie Adams On major platforms, banner ads are automatically distributed through advertising networks, such as Meta Ads, which act as intermediaries. Algorithms distribute ads to accounts based on targeting criteria, such as location or age range. Therefore, an ad from a legitimate brand may appear on an account that, while belonging to the advertiser’s target audience, spreads misinformation. “You pay for ads on social networks, and that money ends up in the hands of a provocative influencer. The influencer says: ‘I only create content, it is freedom of expression’. The platform says: ‘I am just a platform’. And the advertiser says: ‘I don’t know where my money goes’. In the end, no one is responsible,” concludes Carlos Díaz Ruiz. A system that benefits platforms Sometimes, it is even advertisers who break platform rules. According to Reuters, Meta projected that by the end of 2024, it would generate approximately 10% of its total annual revenue ($16 billion) from ads for scams and banned products. To display this YouTube content, you must allow advertising and audience measurement cookies. Accept Manage my options An extension in your browser appears to be blocking the video player from loading. In order to view this content, you must disable it on this site. Retry Mark Zuckerberg at the exit of the trial for the addiction generated by social networks, held in Los Angeles, California. AP – Ryan Sun “If 10% of your income comes from scam ads – not counting fraud or the other categories we have mentioned – that is a considerable amount of money that the platforms are making as profits. And, of course, they can always say that they have taken action against these scams, but they have not returned the money,” laments the market structuring expert. How can we regulate better? To prevent legitimate commercial advertisements from ending up financing disinformation accounts, Carlos Díaz Ruiz advocates for better regulation of the advertising market on platforms: “If advertisers had to control where their money goes, if they knew exactly what they were financing, they would be much more prudent. We have already done it with the banks.” It refers to the ‘Know Your Customer’ regulations, which require banks to know their customers to prevent activities such as terrorist financing or money laundering. “The idea is that the bank, even if it is just a bank, has the responsibility of knowing where the money goes, who its client is and what it is used for. This is completely absent in the field of digital advertising,” summarizes the expert. This type of regulation, for example, would allow traceability and demand responsibilities from digital actors. Adapted from its original French version
Key Developments:
The situation could have broader implications for regional stability, international relations, and global markets.
Political and economic analysts are paying close attention to the potential consequences of these events.
Readers are encouraged to monitor future developments as the situation evolves.
Source: This article was originally published by France 24 – Noticias y actualidad internacional en vivo and adapted for our international English-speaking audience.
Read the original article here.