A coordinated network of Iranian bots has been discovered at the centre of Scotland’s pro-independence movement, responsible for thousands of fake social media posts designed to sow division, according to new research.

Revealing the extent of this politically motivated operation, disinformation specialist Cyabra’s report, Uncovering Iran’s Online Manipulation Network, found that over a quarter (26%) of the 5,000-plus pro-independence users it examined on X were fake.

Using AI-generated content, these more than 1,300 fake profiles targeted the Scottish online community to amplify strategic keywords and hashtags, such as #BrexitBetrayal, #toxicunion, and #scottishneverbritish, with Cyabra estimating the campaign ratcheted up more than 224 million views.

Linking these fake users to Iran, Cyabra found that after the Israeli military operation against Iran earlier this summer, many of the accounts previously voicing the most vociferous pro-independence support pivoted to strong pro-Iranian narratives, designed to ‘advance Iranian geopolitical interests’ in the wake of the attack.

Due to the coordinated nature of the disinformation campaign, Cyabra said it is likely the bot network was ‘centrally managed and strategically executed’.

Examining why Iranian actors have tried to poison the Scottish independence debate, Cyabra’s investigation found that the disinformation campaign was designed to fuel distrust in the UK as a moral actor, delegitimise mainstream politicians, and drive societal division, illustrated by the use of hashtags like #BetterTogetherLied.

As well as undermining public trust in the UK Government, the anti-UK narrative has extended to the media. Bot accounts have consistently attacked the BBC, framing it as a propagandist arm of the Government with institutional bias to Scottish interests.

Not only are these moves designed to widen the rift between the public and mainstream media, but polarise the population and potentially even destabilise Western democracy. 

“The coordinated behaviour of these accounts was unmistakable: synchronised posting patterns, the repeated use of identical slogans and hashtags, and the systematic dissemination of near-identical content designed to simulate authentic public sentiment,” concludes the report.

“With over 126,000 engagements and an estimated reach of 224 million views, this campaign demonstrates the ability of coordinated fake networks to hijack public discourse at scale. 

“Ultimately, these findings underscore the increasing sophistication of state-aligned influence campaigns and the growing threat posed by cross-domain operations that weaponise local divisions in service of foreign agendas.”

With Iran’s subversive campaign discovered, Scotland’s political parties are now using its very existence as a blunt axe to beat one another. 

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Speaking to the Scotsman, Scottish Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser said that the Scottish Government ‘needs to recognise’ that malicious actors are actively trying to capitalise on the SNP’s continued push for independence.

“It is not something they can do anything about, they can’t stop Iranian bots from amplifying pro-independence messages,” said Fraser. 

“If the Scottish Government was prepared to be more active in appealing to social media platforms to get these obvious bad accounts suspended or removed, that would give them more weight than individuals reporting.” 

In its initial response to the Scotsman, the Scottish Government said: “People should be alert to the risk of misinformation and disinformation online and report any instances using social media platforms’ reporting tools, in line with online safety regulator Ofcom’s advice.”