CHIȘINĂU, Moldova — Brian Baumgartner, an alumnus of SMU best known for playing Kevin on "The Office," was one of many celebrities who released videos on Cameo calling for the overthrow of the president of Moldova last year.
Cameo is a website where customers can buy personalized videos from celebrities and internet personalities. Oftentimes the site is used for birthdays and other celebrations.
Baumgartner and others, including Eric Roberts and Lindsay Lohan, were paid on the website to recite Russian calling for Moldovan president Maia Sandu to be brought down.
According to an article from Wired, Moldova has complained of Russian meddling for years and has seen a complex disinformation campaign this year ahead of the presidential election, as well as a referendum on whether Moldova will join the European Union.
Ana Revenco, Moldova's former interior minister who oversees the country's new Center for Strategic Communication and Combating Disinformation, told Wired what's happening in Moldova on social media is a warning for the rest of the world.
“It’s unprecedented in terms of complexity,” Revenco told Wired. “Platforms are not only active here. If [Russia] can use them here, they can use them everywhere.”
Revenco says Russia has been engaging bots created long ago that have been on standby and are synchronizing posts across multiple platforms like Facebook, YouTube and TikTok.
According to Reuters, 55% of Moldovans support joining the EU, but one-third of eligible voters have to show up for that vote to be valid. Iulian Groza, the executive director of the Institute for European Policies and Reforms, told Wired Russia is encouraging people not to vote at all.
“Those who campaign to boycott the vote, basically campaign for the referendum not to pass," Groza said.
