Court ruling10/23/2026

Political Bots Must Disclose Who Is Behind the Propaganda

The Chair of the Central Elections Committee, Justice Noam Sohlberg, ruled that parties and candidates disseminating election propaganda through bots or fictitious accounts must state on whose behalf they operate. However, the complaint against the Likud party and Benjamin Netanyahu was dismissed due to insufficient evidence.

Key facts

•Decision: Chair of the Central Elections Committee
•Justice: Noam Sohlberg
•Publication date: October 23, 2026
•Applicant: The Freedom of Information Movement
•Respondents: Likud and Benjamin Netanyahu
•Legal basis: Elections (Modes of Propaganda) Law

Who Filed the Complaint and What It Concerned

The Freedom of Information Movement alleged that Likud and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were using fictitious accounts and bots to expand the reach of their election messages. According to the applicant, such accounts operate for payment and are therefore subject to the transparency requirement established in the Elections (Modes of Propaganda) Law.

What the Committee Chair Decided

Sohlberg dismissed the complaint because the materials submitted were insufficient to prove that Likud or Netanyahu had used such accounts. However, he established a general rule: disseminating election propaganda through an account that does not bear the candidate’s name, including a bot or a fictitious profile, is considered an election advertisement and must bear a label identifying the responsible party.

Why Disclosure Is Required

According to the justice’s conclusion, information about the identity of the party responsible for propaganda is necessary so that the public can evaluate its content. Networks of fictitious accounts, whether automated or operated by people, can disseminate publications on a broad scale and create the appearance of widespread public support or spontaneous discussion, even though a single party may be behind them.

What this means for you

Social media users should be able to see which party or candidate is behind a propaganda message, even if it is disseminated through a bot or a fictitious profile. However, mere suspicion of a covert political campaign is insufficient: evidence linking a specific party or candidate to such accounts is required in order to apply the rule to them.

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