Expert Highlights U.S. Links Behind Bots and Fake News Amid Investigations in Chile

Original article: “El peso no es Cerimedo”: experto apunta a conexiones con EE.UU. detrás de bots y fake news que hoy se investigan en Chile

“I believe the issue isn’t Cerimedo, but rather the connections with the United States,” stated Julián Macías Tovar, director of the Digital Pandemic Observatory and former head of communication and social media for Podemos in Spain, referring to Argentine consultant Fernando Cerimedo, notorious in Latin American politics as the “king of trolls”, known for using bots and misinformation to sway public opinion towards the right and far-right. These tactics are currently under investigation in Chile.

“I have had discussions with him on Twitter for many years,” the expert confessed in an interview with Radio 750 in Buenos Aires, noting that for a long time, few were warning about this political operator. However, he indicated that Cerimedo is now at the center of controversy following his arrest in Bolivia on August 18, where he faces four charges, including attempted femicide against his ex-partner Nadia Beller; money laundering; domestic violence; and alleged connections to drug trafficking flights, along with the recent establishment of the Cerimedo Commission by the Chilean Chamber of Deputies to investigate his influence and networks in the country, as well as his connections to President José Antonio Kast.

“Following what happened in Bolivia, he is making headlines across several countries. In Chile, for instance, he is also featured prominently. Investigations are underway into issues I have proven for years, such as the use of bots,” he remarked, as reported by Página/12.

The specialist explained that Cerimedo’s modus operandi is not a mystery: his operations center was in Argentina, where he recently sells 50% of his share in La Derecha Diario to his partner, Spanish journalist Javier Negre, a digital outlet which he claimed held “the best bots.”

“There are witnesses who saw the bot center next to Cerimedo’s office, where he maintained a publicity and communication agency. He even has a security firm,” said Macías Tovar, referencing the infrastructure used by the advisor to far-right figures like Javier Milei in Argentina, Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, Rodrigo Paz in Bolivia, and Nasry Asfura in Honduras, to manipulate public debate.

“He then moved his agency to Bolivia and claimed he wanted to establish his operations there,” he added.

“I believe the issue isn’t Cerimedo, but rather the connections with the United States”

Nevertheless, the main focus of the expert’s warning is on the consultant’s role as a cog in a larger system, proposing that “Cerimedo is not the primary danger; rather, it is significant to see him as an intermediary.”

“I think what is most intriguing is when Nadia (Beller) claimed that she had more power than (Rodrigo) Paz. She stated she served as an intermediary between the CIA and the DEA,” he pointed out.

For the communications expert, we are witnessing a phenomenon he calls “Plan Condor 2.0,” a transnational offensive where mass manipulation technology is the primary weapon. Macías Tovar was emphatic: “I believe the issue isn’t Cerimedo but the relationships with the United States. He is a figure in the MAGA movement who aims to spread chaos. And there is a co-conspirator: Cambridge Analytica, which has been operating for the past ten years.”

He noted that Cambridge Analytica, known for selling social media data for campaign manipulations, is infamous for its involvement in Brexit, Donald Trump’s first presidential election, and the election of Mauricio Macri in Argentina.

“Let’s not forget that this technology originated from Palantir, founded by Peter Thiel, and these individuals were funded by (Jeffrey) Epstein. Here, I believe the international component is very clear,” he emphasized.

The expert concluded by drawing parallels between the past and present of South American politics. “We see that there is an international connection and the technological component is significant,” he stated, recalling that previously this structure supported Mauricio Macri in Argentina and Sebastián Piñera in Chile, while today it is evidently renewed in figures like Milei, Kast, and Paz, who, according to his assessment, use bots, fake news, and rely on the favor of algorithms from major platforms.