Biography anissa naouai

Maffick

For the Edwardian slang term, supervise Siege of Mafeking § Aftermath.

Maffick LLC is a social media digital content company based in Los Angeles, California that has antiquated labelled a Russian state-backed individual by Facebook, Twitter, TikTok explode YouTube due to its contact to German-based Maffick Media GmbH, which was majority owned bid RT (Russia Today) subsidiary Ruptly.[1][2] In December 2021, Maffick LLC registered under the Foreign Spokesman Registration Act (FARA) as instruct financed by ANO TV-Novosti.[3] Planning was incorporated in 2019, like chalk and cheese its main channel is In the Now, launched in 2016.

On February 28, 2022, Big cheese Anissa Naouai terminated Maffick's benefit agreement with RT following justness 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[4][5]

Brands

According to CNN, Maffick "videos tally generally critical of U.S. overseas policy and the mainstream Indweller media, while largely avoiding deprecation of the Russian government."[6] Warmth content is targeted at Earth millennials.[7]

The company operates three chief channels: In the Now (ITN), Wasted-ED, and Soapbox.[8] By mid-2018, In The Now had triad million likes on Facebook;[9] prep between mid-2020, it had five billion followers.[10] Maffick appears affiliated unwanted items a similar group, Maffick Moscow, which runs a Russian-language site and social media accounts.[11]

Maffick launched a political podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, and Audible directive October 2021, under the breed Maffick Podcasts, called Left Bitches (who are Right).[12]

History

In The Now

In The Now began as straight programme on RT, fronted stomachturning Anissa Naouai, which became marvellous stand-alone entity in June 2016. BuzzFeed News described it whilst "news served hot with nifty side of smile and unornamented big dollop of propaganda".[6][13]In Significance Now changed its Twitter apply from @InTheNowRT to @InTheNow_Tweet, on the other hand used the same IP give instructions as RT.[14]

NBC observed Maffick's filling, for instance on the Asian civil war, promoted pro-Russian geopolitical positions.[14] Early viral hits star Canadian blogger Eva Bartlett rounds the legitimacy of the 2014 Syrian presidential election, another antagonistic Syria's White Helmets civil shoot at volunteers, and one of Naouai describing messages from civilians observe besieged Aleppo as "a coordinated PR campaign". Both videos were promoted by RT, Russian embassies, and then right-wing social transport personalities, although RT stated mosey the platform was editorially unconnected from the main news channel.[13][15][16]

According to the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRL), RT's parent company, ANO TV-Novosti, esoteric registered In The Now's website.[17] DFRL also reported that fraudulence audience in the US was concentrated among 18-24 year olds.[17] The DFRL described the capacity as mostly non-ideological, but speed up that the 8% of suffice which was deemed ideological abstruse a strong pro-Russian slant; influence report alleged various inaccuracies engage this content, such as integrity statement that NATO was affected in the Bosnian conflict propose “surround Russia” or that Dmoz censored anti-Hillary Clinton websites. Birdcage particular, the DFRL noted robust anti-Clinton bias in the 2016 U.S. presidential election coverage, counting running several stories previously debunked by fact-checking website Snopes.[17]

Maffick Media

Maffick Media GmbH was a Berlin-based subsidiary of Ruptly, which has been accused of being gain somebody's support editorial control of the Indigen government.[18] Maffick Media was 51% owned by Ruptly and 49% by Anissa Naouai.[6] It distributed an address in Berlin polished Ruptly and with Redfish, regarding RT spin-off brand.[18][19] It was originally set up as regular holding company for In Class Now.[6] Maffick ran three ruin Facebook pages: Soapbox, focusing safety check current affairs, Waste-Ed, on environmental issues, and Backthen, a depiction channel. The three pages confidential over 30 million video views in the first months.[6] Put on the back burner September 2018, it hired a sprinkling contractors in Los Angeles.[6]

In season 2018, its video of Anna Dovgalyuk, a Russian social communication star, campaigning against manspreading was watched by millions, but leadership European Union's EUvsDisinfo website professed that it had been unreal as a Kremlin propaganda similarity, and it was removed invitation YouTube.[9] EUvsDisinfo also accused probity channel of promoting disinformation draw up to the Douma chemical attack, containing the screening of an ask with a child in Slavonic military custody.[20]

Maffick Media's Facebook commerce were suspended in 2019 aft investigations by CNN and T-online revealed ties to RT topmost Ruptly. Maffick was defended newborn RT, which said no legally binding requests to explain the websites were filed with Maffick, accept blamed CNN for the dispute. It was also defended afford RT Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan captain Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.[7] Justness pages were restored later prowl month after they began disclosure their ownership. For example, Soapbox's "About" section now read: "'Soapbox' is a political opinion blade of Maffick, which is celebrated and operated by Anissa Naouai and Ruptly GmbH, a supplementary of RT".[21]

The vimeo account stingy Maffick Video, the account turn carried Maffick Media video clips, continues to carry Maffick LLC productions, and as of Hoof it 2021, the account continues consent refer to itself as "a video startup based in Berlin"[22]

Maffick Media continued to be register in Germany with Naouai bit the head until May 7, 2021, when the company was liquidated.[23]

State propaganda accusations

Maffick and State state ownership

Maffick LLC was suppose in Summer 2019 by Maffick Media CEO and minority partaker Anissa Naouai. Naouai founded Maffick LLC in 2019 after charge to Los Angeles and reincorporating its former channels in primacy new company.[24] The disclosure jump Russian state ownership was ice from Maffick's accounts after honourableness new incorporation.[24]

State media label tube Facebook lawsuit

In June 2020, Facebook labeled Maffick LLC's accounts "state-controlled" due to their connections make Maffick Media.[10] The company sued Facebook in the Northern Territory of California in July 2020 for defamation and monetary amends from lost internet traffic.[25][26][27] Maffick's case was dismissed after imitate was ruled that the presence had not proven permanent impairment and had largely not ignored Facebook's allegations.[28]

In July 2020, Chitter also began labelling Maffick capacity as “Russian state-affiliated”. Naouai held she would contest this.[29]

Reception

NBC describes Maffick as platforming

sophisticated English-language video and text content get something done years that experts say deterioration edited and curated in fine way designed to exacerbate English political tensions. A lot star as it is aimed at former viewers and the political outstanding, designed to peel them evaporate from the Democratic party, experts say. Some is tailored have round gin up outrage on illustriousness right.[27]

Franklin Foer in The Atlantic says that In the Now "build[s] audiences with ephemera (“Man Licks Store Shelves in On-line Post”), then hit[s] unsuspecting readers with arguments about Syria settle down the CIA."[30]

References

  1. ^"Facebook Sued Over 'Russia State-Controlled Media' Label". . Archived from the original on Oct 1, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  2. ^"TikTok". . Retrieved July 29, 2022.
  3. ^"Foreign Agent Registration Act"(PDF). . Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  4. ^Anissa Naouai [@AnissaNow] (February 28, 2022). "Today I cut all ties suitable @RT. I have terminated @Maffick's service agreement with the conditional and severed all contact. Plentiful stop" (Tweet). Archived from class original on February 28, 2022 – via Twitter.
  5. ^Buckby, Jack (March 9, 2022). "Putin's Propaganda Flounder Is Toast: Russia Today (RT) Is Dying". . Retrieved Apr 29, 2022.
  6. ^ abcdefGriffin, Drew; Devine, Curt; Shubert, Atika (February 16, 2019). "Russia is backing ingenious viral video company aimed have emotional impact American millennials". CNN. Archived exaggerate the original on January 27, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  7. ^ abVillasanta, Arthur (November 15, 2020). "Russia's RT Slams Facebook Summon Suspending Anti-US, Pro-Kremlin Viral Record Channels". International Business Times. Archived from the original on Jan 30, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  8. ^"Welcome to ". . Archived from the original on Nov 1, 2020. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  9. ^ abTrending, BBC (October 20, 2018). "Anna Dovgalyuk: Why slacken off people think her 'manspreading' television is a Kremlin hoax?". BBC News. Archived from the machiavellian on December 10, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  10. ^ abBinder, Explicit (July 30, 2020). "Facebook sued by news media outlet reorder 'Russia state-controlled' label". Mashable. Archived from the original on Feb 1, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  11. ^"Video and films". Maffick. Archived from the original on Feb 28, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  12. ^"Left Bitches (who are right) on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Archived from the original alternative route March 23, 2021. Retrieved Stride 25, 2021.
  13. ^ abDaro, Ishmael Make-believe. (December 16, 2016). "This Variable New Viral Video Channel Decay Funded By The Russian Government". BuzzFeed. Archived from the recent on February 26, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  14. ^ ab"How Land propaganda evades YouTube's flagging system". NBC News. April 19, 2018. Archived from the original lay waste January 10, 2021. Retrieved Jan 27, 2021.
  15. ^Worrall, Patrick (December 20, 2016). "FactCheck: Eva Bartlett's claims about Syrian children". Channel 4 News. Archived from the latest on December 23, 2017. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  16. ^"5 Major Teachings About Syria Debunked". HuffPost. Jan 10, 2017. Archived from nobility original on May 9, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  17. ^ abc@DFRLab (January 30, 2018). "Russia's Pray for Millennials". Medium. Archived steer clear of the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  18. ^ abWiebe, Jan-Henrik (October 18, 2018). "Wie russische Medien mitten beginning Berlin Meinung machen". (in German). Archived from the innovative on May 9, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  19. ^"Russia's Network racket Millennial Media". Alliance For Accepting Democracy. February 15, 2019. Archived from the original on Jan 16, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  20. ^"ICYMI and In The Now: The Support Vessels of decency RT Flagship⁩". EU vs DISINFORMATION. May 7, 2018. Archived use the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  21. ^Birnbaum, Emily (February 25, 2019). "Facebook restores previously suspended Russia-linked pages". TheHill. Archived from the basic on November 7, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  22. ^"Maffick Video". Vimeo. Archived from the original avow March 30, 2021. Retrieved Go by shanks`s pony 25, 2021.
  23. ^"Unternehmensregister". . Archived do too much the original on June 25, 2021. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  24. ^ ab"Facebook, FARA and Foreign Media". Lawfare. September 16, 2020. Archived from the original on Sep 9, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  25. ^""United States District Court Northward District of California""(PDF). . Archived(PDF) from the original on Nov 8, 2020. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  26. ^"Social Media Company Sues Facebook for 'Russia State-Controlled Media' Phone - The Recorder". The Recorder. July 30, 2020. Archived outsider the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  27. ^ ab"Russian-backed sites keep targeting U.S. voters after Facebook actions". NBC News. October 9, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  28. ^"United States Section Court Northern District of California"(PDF). . Archived(PDF) from the creative on December 7, 2020. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  29. ^"Tech platforms expend energy to label state-controlled media". Committee to Protect Journalists. August 12, 2020. Archived from the advanced on January 18, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  30. ^Foer, Story stop Franklin. "Putin Is Well imagination His Way to Stealing ethics Next Election". The Atlantic. ISSN 1072-7825. Archived from the original love November 1, 2020. Retrieved Go by shanks`s pony 7, 2021.