An investigation has uncovered a group of Israelis called Team Jorge, which is alleged to have tampered with the results of more than 30 elections worldwide, using strategies such as hacking, sabotage and automated disinformation campaigns on social media.
Tal Hanan, a 50-year-old former Israeli special forces agent, operates under the alias “Jorge” and has been subtly influencing elections worldwide for over two decades.
An international consortium of journalists exposes a man known as Hanan and his secret unit, referred to as “Team Jorge.”.
Meet Team Jorge:
Jorge
- Real name: Tal Hanan, 51
- Skills: Hacking and disinformation
- Role: The leader
- Background: Security and defense consulting services
Nick
- Real name: Zohar Hanan, 55
- Skills: Hacking-for-hire and influence
- Role: CEO
Max
- Real name: Mashy Meidan, 63
- Skills: Psychological warfare, influence operations
- Role: Advisor and strategy
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Global pandemonium and confusion resulting from disruption and misinformation
See below some countries in which Team Jorge has operated:
Kenya
The announcement of the election results in August 2022 sparked an explosion of violence and legal action challenging their authenticity. In response, a long-running campaign of delegitimization began that continues to this day.
Team Jorge's role: Hanan presented the hacked Telegram accounts of five senior members of William Ruto's campaign to undercover reporters. Ruto won the election and is now president. Two of the campaign officials whose accounts were hacked are now accused of hacking the electoral commission to "steal" votes.
Mexico
After Tomás Zerón, a former high-ranking Mexican official, fled to Israel in recent years and avoided trial on charges of torturing interrogators related to the kidnapping of 43 anti-government students in 2014, Mexico is seeking his extradition.
Team Jorge leveraged its powerful avatar network to make a statement in favor of Zerón and highlight his involvement in the capture of “El Chapo.” In addition, they sought to discredit any suspicions against Zerón as politically motivated.
Ecuador
In 2012, William and Roberto Isaias were convicted of embezzling hundreds of millions of dollars in Ecuador. The country has been seeking their extradition for years, but they remain in the United States.
Team Jorge members collaborated to launch a campaign that defended the Isaias brothers and portrayed their hardships as politically driven retaliation.
California
In response to reports of potential safety risks, Governor Gavin Newsom decided not to renew the operating license of a nuclear plant.
Team Jorge played a significant role in the battle against Newsom: it used an impressive horde of avatars to lead the online campaign, which ultimately led to victory and the renewal of the permit.
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Nigeria
On the morning of the 2015 Nigerian election, all the phones belonging to opposition candidates were mysteriously switched off. Cambridge Analytica had previously worked with the campaign of incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan, and former employees of the company reported that alleged “Israeli hackers” provided access to private medical and financial documents relating to his rival candidate.
Team Jorge’s involvement was acknowledged by Hanan, who admitted that he organized the attack on the opponents’ phones. Cambridge Analytica documents confirmed this, revealing Hanan and his team as the “Israeli hackers.”.
Israel
About fifteen years ago, an Israeli security agency was provided with a financial report by Hanan detailing assets held by Iran and Hezbollah. According to someone familiar with the matter, it cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars and ultimately turned out to be misleading or fabricated information.
Indonesia
According to Hanan, he was the mastermind behind the cyberattack that targeted the KPU computers in Indonesia during 2019. He went on to state that his goal for this attack was to appear to originate from China so that a specific political candidate could be implicated as an opponent of the Chinese.
Catalonia
Hanan boldly claimed responsibility for a DDoS attack that aimed to disrupt the 2014 referendum on Catalan independence, but fortunately the vote went ahead without any problems.
Trinidad and Tobago
Hanan claimed to have successfully hacked the emails of then-Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar's chief of staff and strategically leaked a document to cause political unrest.
Mozambique
At a public demonstration, Jorge revealed the hacked Gmail account of Celso Ismael Correia, the Minister of Agriculture. Initially, Mr. Correia admitted that it was indeed his own email address - but later retracted this statement.
Venezuela
Hanan alleged that he maliciously spread false information to an ABC reporter about former President Hugo Chavez, with the intent to influence the 2012 election
Mongolia
Hanan presented documents which, upon inspection, were discovered to contain the private tax records of the recently deceased public figure Batkhuu Gavaa.
Morocco
In 2022, Hanan's network launched a viral campaign with #PolisarioCrime that highlighted alleged connections between the Polisario Front – a movement for the liberation of Western Sahara – and Hezbollah and Iran.
Britain
In 2021, Hanan's network developed an inspiring campaign about a clinic in the United Kingdom, which was under investigation for providing misleading COVID-19.
Qatar
In 2022, Hanan's network instigated an online campaign claiming that Ali Bin Fetais Al-Marri, the UN's representative for combating fraud and corruption, was himself corrupt.
Source of information: haaretz.com
