Fact check: How do I spot fake social media accounts, bots and trolls?

Hundreds of thousands of inauthentic social media accounts. Tens of thousands of fake articles. Millions of automated posts.

These are some of the figures cited by the German Foreign Ministry in connection with a Russian disinformation campaign that was first detected in 2022, after Russia invaded Ukraine.

Known as Doppelgänger, the operation aimed to amplify pro-Russian narratives on social media platforms in countries like Germany.

On some days, thousands of the accounts were active, posting more than once per second in a coordinated manner, the ministry said in a 2024 report.

This campaign underscores just how important it is for users to verify the authenticity of social media accounts and identify when content is being published or amplified by bots and trolls.

But first, what’s the difference between a bot and a troll? And how can you spot them?

DW Fact check offers tips to help you navigate today's information landscape.

Fake accounts are social media profiles that conceal their true identity. Some may pretend to be ordinary users; others can impersonate politicians, institutions or journalists.