Bots and Indian TV push fake news about Canada in wake of Hindu temple clashes

… amplify my content? Yes. But that doesn’t mean I’m responsible for their actions,\” he said. 

Global Affairs Canada has been monitoring the situation closely, with officials expressing concern about the potential impact of the misinformation on relations between Sikhs and Hindus in Canada. 

The clashes outside Hindu temples in Surrey and Brampton have left many in the Sikh community feeling a sense of insecurity that they never thought they would experience in Canada. Balwinder Singh, who hosts a Punjabi-language call-in radio show from his home in Brampton, said that many long-time residents were shocked by the violence and confrontations that took place. 

In the aftermath of the demonstrations, social media was flooded with unverified claims about retaliatory violence, government infiltration, and police corruption. CBC News conducted an analysis of accounts on X, both critical of the Khalistan movement and in support of it, to determine the extent of bot amplification of their posts. 

The analysis revealed that posts critical of the Khalistan movement received significant engagement from suspected bots, with some posts being retweeted by thousands of suspicious accounts. On the other hand, pro-Khalistan accounts did not see the same level of bot engagement. 

One prominent Canadian influencer critical of the Khalistan movement, Daniel Bordman, received nearly 6,000 retweets from nearly 1,800 suspected bots in the month of November. One of his posts, which falsely claimed that Sikhs at a religious ceremony in Surrey were making inflammatory statements, was amplified by hundreds of suspected bot accounts. 

The false claims made by Bordman were picked up by Indian media outlets sympathetic to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, further spreading the misinformation. Bordman’s posts were also cited in reports of the incidents by major Indian news channels, perpetuating the false narrative. 

The size advantage of pro-Modi media outlets in India has allowed them to amplify negative narratives about Canada, according to Global Affairs Canada. Press freedom in India has declined significantly under Modi’s government, with many major media outlets being owned and operated by loyalists to the ruling party. 

In an interview with CBC News, Bordman denied taking money from the Indian government for his media appearances but admitted that some of them were paid. He also downplayed the role of suspected bots in amplifying his content, attributing it to the size of his following on social media. 

The wave of misinformation being spread about Canadian institutions, particularly regarding the Khalistan movement and Sikh Canadians, is a cause for concern for Global Affairs Canada. The potential impact on relations between Sikhs and Hindus in Canada is significant, and efforts are being made to address the spread of false information and inflammatory rhetoric.