The rise of digital platforms has empowered independent and citizen journalism and has offered a vital space for voices that challenge power structures. However, these platforms have also become hotbeds for harassment, disinformation, and orchestrated attacks, particularly against outspoken journalists like Rana Ayyub. Rana Ayyub is an Indian journalist, author of Gujarat Files: Anatomy of a Cover Up, and a columnist for The Washington Post. As a vocal critic of the current Indian government and a staunch advocate for human rights, Ayyub has been relentlessly targeted by a coordinated campaign of harassment, character assassination, and disinformation, aimed at silencing her.
An analysis of thousands of tweets and other online abuse reveals that the harassment directed at Ayyub is anything but random; rather, it appears to be a highly organized and sustained effort to discredit her. The scale is staggering, with relentless daily torrents of abusive tweets, messages, and hashtags aimed at undermining her credibility. Our random sample from this data highlights specific patterns in these attacks: nearly half of the abusive replies to her X (formerly Twitter) account are in English, while the remaining responses are in Hindi and various regional languages. This multilingual assault demonstrates the strategic coordination behind the campaign, designed to damage her reputation across diverse audiences.
The harassment extends beyond verbal abuse. Manipulated images, videos, and harmful links are often employed to worsen smear campaigns against her. What’s even more concerning is the high frequency of violent threats, such as calls for rape and murder, that Ayyub encounters nearly daily.
Several coordinated tactics have been employed to harass and discredit Ayyub, highlighting the organized nature of this campaign:
- Reply Spam: The investigation tracked over 6,000 tweet mentions, many of which originated from accounts dedicated to flooding Ayyub’s timeline with abusive replies. This method is intended to drown out meaningful conversation and overwhelm her with toxic content, making it difficult for her to engage or respond effectively.
- Hashtag Campaigns: Hashtags like #RanaAyyub and #GujaratLies are frequently deployed to amplify disinformation and rally online mobs to digitally stone Ayyub. These campaigns work to paint Ayyub as a foreign agent or propagandist, casting her as a threat to India’s sovereignty and fueling public outrage by appealing to nationalist sentiments. The latest wave of attacks surged after Ayyub was awarded the International Press Freedom Award, with many accounts expressing anger and intensifying the harassment in response to her international recognition.
- Disinformation Spread: Ayyub has become a primary target of disinformation campaigns on social media, with false claims accusing her of spreading misinformation or acting as a foreign agent against India—tactics aimed at damaging her credibility and deflecting from her journalism. In one instance, allegations of money laundering led to harassment so severe that the UN intervened. Even then, some people criticized the UN’s stance.
In March 2022, Indian authorities barred her from boarding a flight to London, citing an investigation into alleged financial misconduct; by October, the Enforcement Directorate filed charges claiming misuse of over $324,000 (Rs 2.7 crore) in raised funds. Ayyub has denied all allegations, describing them as attempts to silence her. This weaponization of disinformation undermines her work and sets a dangerous precedent for journalists everywhere.
Coordinated Campaigns and Political Affiliations
A deeper analysis of the accounts spreading this disinformation reveals a coordinated effort, with many profiles showing strong affiliations to pro-BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) narratives. While no direct involvement from the Indian government or the BJP has been definitively established, the consistent overlap between accounts promoting disinformation and those aligned with BJP content points to a politically motivated campaign against Ayyub.
Some of the top accounts repeatedly harassing Ayyub show strong affiliations with pro-BJP narratives.
Some of the most active accounts in the harassment campaign are linked to high levels of engagement with pro-government and nationalist content, which further suggests that Ayyub’s criticism of the current regime plays a significant role in the attacks.
Government Censorship
The investigation also highlights instances where actions taken by the Indian government appear to have directly fueled surges in harassment against Rana Ayyub. One notable example occurred on June 26, 2022, when Ayyub shared a notice from X (formerly Twitter), informing her that her post regarding the Gyanvapi Mosque and the farmers’ protests had been blocked at the request of the Indian government.
This censorship not only suppressed her voice but also triggered a fresh wave of abuse, as trolls intensified their attacks, using the blocked content as an opportunity to malign her further highlights the intersection of government censorship and digital harassment, with state actions inadvertently or intentionally emboldening those who seek to discredit journalists like Ayyub.
This type of government censorship, combined with the growing disinformation campaigns, showcases a troubling intersection of digital violence and state control of the narrative, where journalists like Ayyub become prime targets.
Self-Censorship Due to Digital Violence
We hypothesize that the relentless wave of online abuse has taken a profound psychological toll on Rana Ayyub and that she has been forced to self-censor since 2020 as a defense mechanism. Following X’s introduction of the ‘Choose Who Can Reply’ feature, Ayyub has consistently restricted her posts to limit replies, allowing only selected users to respond. Data from our analysis reveals a marked drop in the volume of replies to her tweets, from thousands before 2021 to just hundreds afterwards. While this measure has significantly reduced the volume of abusive replies in her mentions, it has not prevented the broader disinformation campaign targeting her. The smear campaigns, false narratives, and coordinated attacks continue, circulating across various platforms and amplifying the digital violence she faces.
In an attempt to protect herself, Ayyub frequently tags law enforcement agencies in her posts to bring attention to the violent threats against her life, including rape and murder. Despite these repeated pleas for intervention, law enforcement has not taken decisive action. Ayyub’s self-censorship is a stark example of how digital violence forces journalists into silence, not through formal censorship, but through the overwhelming weight of abuse. Even though she has taken steps to shield herself, the structural issues surrounding moderation and accountability on platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram remain unresolved. Social media companies have been criticized for their failure to effectively moderate abuse and curb disinformation, particularly in cases involving public figures in politically sensitive environments. The absence of comprehensive safeguards allows harassment to persist unchecked, further discouraging voices that challenge powerful institutions.
Journalists Under Siege
The psychological and professional toll of targeted harassment against journalists like Rana Ayyub extends far beyond the individual. It sends a chilling message to the broader journalism community: speaking truth to power can come with life-threatening consequences. The digital space, originally envisioned as a platform for democratizing information and empowering independent voices, has instead become a battleground where journalists are systematically targeted and silenced. Ayyub’s experience highlights the urgent need for stronger protections, from governments and tech platforms, to ensure that journalists can work without the looming threat of violence or retaliation.
The harassment campaign against Rana Ayyub is emblematic of a much larger crisis facing journalists globally—particularly women and those who challenge authoritarian regimes. The tactics used against Ayyub are not isolated; they are part of a broader pattern of digital repression aimed at suppressing free speech and curbing independent journalism, especially in regions like the Global South. These methods—reply spam, disinformation, and coordinated smear campaigns—serve to intimidate and discredit journalists, while also eroding public trust in independent reporting.
This case, which is just one of many, underscores the pressing need for more robust protections for journalists operating in digital spaces. Social media platforms must step up their content moderation efforts and implement stronger accountability mechanisms to curb the spread of abuse and disinformation. Without these safeguards, the digital landscape will continue to serve as a hostile environment for those who dare to challenge powerful institutions.
The critical question that remains is whether these attacks are purely organic, fueled by online trolls and patriotic zeal, or if there is a deeper, more orchestrated effort by political entities, such as the BJP or the Indian government, to suppress dissenting voices like Ayyub’s. The overlap between pro-government content and accounts engaged in the harassment certainly raises concerns about the role of political forces in enabling or even directing such attacks. As the lines between online harassment and political influence blur, addressing this issue nationally and globally becomes increasingly important.
Research By
Mable Amuron, Mercy Abiro and Richard Ngamita.