Team Jorge

Key Points

• Team Jorge is an Israel-based disinformation unit led by Tel Hanan, alias “Jorge,” known for allegedly manipulating elections in over 30 countries, including India, using sophisticated technology like bots and fake social media profiles.
• The group offers services such as hacking, sabotage, and automated disinformation campaigns, primarily targeting political campaigns and public opinion.
• Investigations by Forbidden Stories and an international consortium of journalists exposed Team Jorge’s operations, raising significant ethical and legal concerns.
• No direct customer reviews are available due to the covert nature of their services, but public sentiment on platforms like X reflects alarm and skepticism.
• Team Jorge’s activities pose high legal, ethical, and reputational risks, with potential ties to controversial entities like Cambridge Analytica.

Overview

Team Jorge is a secretive Israeli operation specializing in disinformation and influence campaigns, led by Tel Hanan, a former special forces operative. Operating under the pseudonym “Jorge,” Hanan claims involvement in 33 presidential-level elections worldwide, offering services to corporate clients, intelligence agencies, political campaigns, and private companies. The group employs a software platform called Advanced Impact Media Solutions (AIMS) to create thousands of fake social media profiles and bots, enabling covert manipulation of public opinion. Their methods include hacking, spreading misinformation, and sabotaging political opponents’ campaigns, with operations tracked across the United States, Europe, South and Central America, Africa, and India. The group’s activities were uncovered through a six-month investigation by Forbidden Stories and over 100 journalists from 30 media outlets, published in February 2023.

Allegations and Concerns

• Election Interference: Team Jorge is accused of meddling in elections across more than 30 countries by using hacking, sabotage, and automated disinformation campaigns. Specific allegations include targeting individuals close to Kenyan presidential candidate William Ruto in 2022, though no definitive proof links them to manipulating the election outcome.
• Hacking and Privacy Violations: The group allegedly hacks platforms like Telegram to gather intelligence or disrupt campaigns. In 2022, they reportedly accessed accounts of individuals linked to Ruto’s campaign, raising concerns about privacy and cybersecurity violations.
• Collaboration with Controversial Entities: Posts on X suggest Team Jorge partnered with Cambridge Analytica, a firm infamous for its role in the 2016 U.S. election scandal, amplifying concerns about unethical practices.
• Lack of Transparency: Team Jorge operates covertly, with no public-facing website or verifiable business records, making it difficult to assess their legitimacy or accountability.
• Potential Legal Violations: Their services, including hacking and disinformation, may violate international laws on election integrity, cybersecurity, and privacy, though specific lawsuits against them are not documented in the provided sources.

Customer Feedback

Due to the clandestine nature of Team Jorge’s operations, no direct customer reviews are publicly available. Their clients—likely intelligence agencies, political campaigns, or corporations—do not openly share feedback. However, public sentiment on X reflects significant concern:

• A post describes Team Jorge as a “shadowy ‘black ops’ entity” working with Cambridge Analytica, indicating public distrust and alarm over their methods.
• Another post highlights their “extraordinary” ability to “weaponize disinformation” covertly, framing them as a threat to democratic processes.
• A post notes their alleged activity in India, questioning ties to political parties, which suggests public suspicion of their influence.
  No positive feedback exists in the public domain, and the lack of verifiable client testimonials underscores the group’s secretive operations.

Risk Considerations

• Legal Risks: Team Jorge’s hacking and disinformation campaigns could violate laws on cybersecurity, privacy, and election interference in multiple jurisdictions. While no lawsuits are currently documented, their exposure by Forbidden Stories increases the likelihood of future legal scrutiny.
• Reputational Risks: Association with Team Jorge could severely damage the reputation of clients or partners, given the group’s alleged unethical practices and ties to controversial entities like Cambridge Analytica.
• Ethical Risks: Their services undermine democratic processes and public trust, posing ethical dilemmas for any entity engaging with them.
• Operational Risks: Reliance on covert methods like hacking makes Team Jorge vulnerable to counter-investigations, technological countermeasures, or betrayal by clients, as seen in their exposure by undercover journalists.
• Geopolitical Risks: Operating across multiple countries, including sensitive regions like Africa and India, exposes them to diplomatic fallout or sanctions if their activities are linked to state actors.

Business Relations and Associations

• Leadership: Tel Hanan, alias “Jorge,” is the mastermind, a 50-year-old former Israeli special forces operative with a background in intelligence. He has cultivated an international network, including a past collaboration with Martin Rodil, a former IMF data analyst, to form Global Resources Solutions, which offered security and financial intelligence.
• Alleged Partnerships: Posts on X suggest ties to Cambridge Analytica, though no direct evidence confirms an ongoing partnership. This association links Team Jorge to prior election manipulation scandals.
• Client Base: Hanan claims to serve corporate clients, intelligence agencies, political campaigns, and private companies, but specific clients are not publicly identified due to the group’s secrecy. A 2022 interaction with an undercover journalist posing as a client for an African leader suggests they target high-paying political entities.
• No Formal Business Entity: No verifiable records exist of Team Jorge as a registered company, suggesting it operates as an underground or loosely organized unit.

Legal and Financial Concerns

• Lawsuits: No specific lawsuits against Team Jorge are documented in the provided sources, likely due to their covert operations and lack of a public-facing entity.
• Bankruptcy Records: There are no records of bankruptcy filings associated with Team Jorge, as they do not appear to operate as a formal business entity subject to standard financial reporting.
• Unpaid Debts: No evidence of unpaid debts is available, but their high-cost services (e.g., €6 million for an election manipulation job) suggest significant financial transactions that could attract scrutiny.
• Regulatory Scrutiny: Their hacking and disinformation activities could fall under investigation by international bodies or national cybersecurity agencies, though no specific actions are noted in the sources.

Risk Assessment Table

Expert Opinion

Team Jorge represents a significant threat to democratic integrity and public trust due to its sophisticated disinformation and hacking capabilities. Their ability to operate covertly across multiple countries, using tools like AIMS to manipulate social media and public opinion, makes them a formidable player in the shadow world of political influence. The pros of engaging with such a group—potentially effective campaign manipulation or intelligence gathering—are heavily outweighed by the cons, including severe legal, ethical, and reputational risks. Their exposure by Forbidden Stories and the association with Cambridge Analytica amplify these concerns, signaling a high likelihood of future scrutiny or legal action.

Cautionary Advice: Engaging with or associating with Team Jorge is highly inadvisable due to the near-certain reputational damage and potential legal consequences. Entities seeking influence should pursue transparent, ethical strategies compliant with local and international laws. For those investigating or opposing Team Jorge, collaboration with cybersecurity experts and international regulatory bodies is essential to counter their operations effectively.

Key Citations

• Moneylife.in, “Team Jorge: How a Global Disinformation Unit is Influencing Public Opinion,” March 1, 2023.
• Forbidden Stories, “Team Jorge: In the heart of a global disinformation machine,” February 15, 2023.
• X post by @FbdnStories, February 15, 2023, describing Team Jorge as a “shadowy ‘black ops’ entity.”
• X post by @guardian, February 15, 2023, on Team Jorge’s disinformation tactics.
• X post by @iAnkurSingh, February 16, 2023, noting Team Jorge’s alleged activity in India.