Yet an analysis of their listed physical addresses and online presence suggests that the businesses are at least partly operated from Vietnam, the Philippines, Pakistan, India and Croatia (with Facebook page administrators based in those countries). None of the e-commerce sites identified by TBIJ provided a US address that could be linked to their business.
United Patriot, which says its “patriotic collection of amazing apparel … is printed locally here in America,” claims on its Facebook page and website that it is located at an address in Gardena, California. However, TBIJ could find no proof of that business registered at the address. The only other commercial activity found at the address was a warehouse providing bulk shipment services to people based overseas, as well as two online stores that were accused in Google reviews of being scams.
The Better Business Bureau, a nonprofit organization focused on “marketplace trust,” told United Patriots in November 2022 that it must change or substantiate claims made on its website about “printed in the USA” items. .
Another such site, Red First LLC, says it is based in Carrollton, Texas, at the same address as a fraudulent merchant claiming to resell Ralph Lauren clothing. This does not necessarily mean that the companies are owned by the same person, but it does suggest that the address may have been used by scammers.
Nor are all these operations strictly right-wing messages. Red First LLC (which spreads significantly less hate and misinformation than the other three companies) has created at least 5,000 ads in the past two years. Although it promotes mostly right-wing merchandise and content, such as T-shirts with misogynistic slurs at Harris and signs suggesting that the 2020 election have been stolen, in a small number of cases he has also posted pro-Harris content. The commercial imperative behind the operation means it is not averse to supporting the other side.
Target under surveillance
As attempts to sway public opinion and elections have intensified on social media, companies like Facebook owner Meta have come under scrutiny for the role they play in hosting bad actors trying to polarize public opinion on their platforms.
In 2021 Frances Haugen, a former Facebook employee, has blasted the company’s role in spreading misinformation and increasing racial hatred. Numerous studies have also shown that algorithms on social media platforms, including Facebook, create greater opportunities for engaging far-right, conspiratorial and hateful content.
“The US election is already a tense and divisive political event. If the goal of these scammers is to attract people, then appealing directly to emotions to bypass media criticism is key,” says Joe Ondrak, senior head of research and technology at anti-disinformation startup Logically.
“There is probably a large pool of potential victims and easily exploitable narratives from which to choose. The way algorithms reward engagement means that misinformation, conspiracy theories and hate speech are easy ways to find a wide audience.
