Disinformation via contact forms. (AI-generated image, prompted by me)
Recently, I discovered a method people with agendas are using to spread disinformation — by flooding website contact forms and comment sections with mass messages.
Contact forms and comments used to be the spammer’s playground for promoting adult sites, betting sites or illegal pharmacies, but now these spaces have quietly turned into a battleground for spreading misleading and harmful content. The main reason is the low cost — mass-submitting messages to one million website contact forms costs about $50.
What’s unusual is that these messages don’t contain specific website links. Instead, the content itself carries the message, suggesting the goal isn’t to drive clicks but to push narratives directly into website inboxes.
Some of the messages imitate market alerts — for example, referring to ASX or Australasia market “Pump or Dump” schemes, or hyping AI and data center trends for 2025, and the sender claims itself from the Australian government.
Screenshot of the message that I receive from the website contact form.
This message claims Tesla is spyware.
But many others are far more troubling. I’ve seen disturbing fake news targeting Jews, Elon Musk, and the Evangelical Church. These messages often include links to YouTube or TikTok videos, supposedly from “Al Jazeera English,” “The Electronic Intifada,” and similar outlets.
The content accuses Israel of “devastating genocide in Gaza,” claims “innocent women” are being killed, and even twists Torah quotes like “an eye for an eye” to justify antisemitism. These messages are clearly designed to sow division and hatred.
Screenshots of the real messages I received — they show how this new tactic quietly sneaks harmful disinformation through a channel many overlook.
On August 7th, Fox News aired an exclusive interview with Bill Hemmer and Prime Minister Netanyahu. Hemmer’s questions were sharp and touched on the sensitive situations Israel is facing right now, such as the false accusations of genocide and of starving the Gazan population.
One of the questions was: “How did Israel lose this argument?… or the better question would be – How do you win them back?“
Netanyahu replied: “We win by winning… Eventually the truth gets out. It takes time.”
The PM’s answer sounds reassuring, but reality is more complicated. Disinformation evolves, turning into stereotypes and discrimination — just as anti-Semitism has never faded, and there are still people who believe Jews have horns on their heads.
Without a clear and unified information hub providing first-hand facts to the news media, Israel will have a very slim chance of getting the truth out. I urge the Israeli government to open a digital news platform under a CC BY 4.0 or CC0 license and take active control of the narrative.
Disinformation campaigns evolve relentlessly. In the media war, as in physical warfare, survival depends on decisive and pre-emptive action.
About the Author
Yael is a Taiwanese & Israeli citizen. She has been working in business consulting and marketing for Israeli, Chinese and Taiwanese companies, covering the area of all south-east Asia.
