Experts estimate that there were at least 1,300 bots or automated accounts employed during the recent presidential campaign as part of the so-called «Cerimedo method», which aims at the artificial amplification of content in public digital discourse.
This was revealed by an investigation conducted by El Mostrador in collaboration with Social Listening analysts, focusing on the interactions –shares and comments– triggered by posts from the three main trolls dedicated to spreading “toxic messages” and misinformation amid the electoral contest on social media platform X.
According to the study’s findings, during the presidential campaign of 2025 and the preceding months, the «Cerimedo method» was applied in our country. It is named after the far-right political operator who is also known as the “king of trolls,” and has been a focal point of national public opinion following his arrest in Bolivia on August 18, facing multiple charges including attempted femicide, money laundering, domestic violence, and alleged involvement in drug trafficking flights.
The Influence of Cerimedo in Chile
In statements to Infobae, the operator acknowledged creating 50,000 fake accounts that operated in Argentina, alongside others used in Chile, demonstrating his ability to operate large-scale misinformation networks to position content on social media. This was evident during a raid conducted on one of his residences in La Paz, where a “mini bot farm” was discovered, managed by an advisor to far-right figures such as Javier Milei in Argentina, Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, Rodrigo Paz in Bolivia, and Nasry Asfura in Honduras.
Additionally, alerts have been raised about the Argentine advisor’s connections with the most conservative sectors in our country, as he was contracted in 2020 through Numen Spa, a company founded by lawyer Enrique José García Arancibia, by the so-called “Casa Común,” a campaign opposing the proposed new Constitution. There, he collaborated with the current director of the Communications Secretariat (Secom), Felipe Costabal, and Alejandro Irarrázaval, chief advisor in La Moneda’s Second Floor. His work involved methodologically dubious surveys and questioned results, and he was consistent in disseminating false information.
However, revelations regarding Cerimedo’s involvement in Chile deepened with statements from his ex-partner, Nadia Beller, who told Radio Biobío that he openly boasted about his role in the presidential campaign of José Antonio Kast.
The results from implementing the “Cerimedo method” during the presidential elections reveal patterns of systematic and artificial amplification in posts from the three trolls. Between January and December 2025, specialists examined 92,296 interactions related to these users.
Of the 18,517 accounts that followed and were analyzed, 1,261 had fewer than 10 followers; 2,171 reacted only to messages from troll accounts; and 898 were created between 2025 and 2026. When analyzing these anomalous behaviors, nearly 7% of the accounts showed characteristics consistent with bots or inauthentic accounts, according to experts.
Based on these findings, experts estimate that at least 1,300 bots –or automated accounts that repost and comment– reacted in a coordinated manner to amplify the messages from the three analyzed accounts.
According to El Mostrador, based on these data, they assert that «there was indeed a system that artificially turned ‘toxic’ messages into trending topics.» They also add that there was a mechanism that «artificially generated an agenda» and that automatedly affected the public debate during the campaign.
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