AK Trolls


AK Trolls are state-sponsored anonymous Internet political commentators and trolls recruited by the Justice and Development Party in Turkey. In 2015 it was confirmed that AK Trolls are directly funded by the state, with most of the state-sponsored Internet trolls being people aged 20–25. The youth wing of the Justice and Development Party is presumed responsible for heading the web brigade.

Background

AK Trolls came to existence in 2013 after the Gezi Park protests where protesters used social media to organize and publicize protests against the government and the authoritarian tendencies of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. As a reaction, the AKP recruited 6,000 people to a new social media team, known as the New Turkey Digital Office, to promote state propaganda and orchestrate campaigns against individuals identified as being opponents of AKP. Internet bots are extensively used by government as well to assist paid individuals. AK Trolls mainly target anyone who opposes the policies of incumbent President Erdoğan, which can range from Kurdish leftists to Kemalists.
AK Trolls favored a 'Yes' vote for the constitutional changes sought by Erdoğan.

Methods

AK Trolls use social media networks in an organized way to promote the AKP, discredit opposition, and attack individuals by spreading false information about them on the Internet. MPs from CHP and HDP asked to start an investigation on AK Trolls as the group is extensively employed to silence individuals by character assassination, insulting, and threatening.