Digital bot farm controversy impacts Chilean political figures

Investigations into digital manipulation have intensified following the discovery of a suspected “mini bot farm” in Bolivia linked to Argentine political marketer Fernando Cerimedo. This development has raised questions regarding the use of automated accounts to influence political discourse and create artificial trends.

In Chile, the controversy has reached the administration of President José Antonio Kast. Security Minister Martín Arrau, a close ally of Kast, has faced allegations regarding his involvement in digital strategies used during political campaigns. Testimonies suggest Arrau may have discussed the ability to maintain specific topics as trending on social media platforms like X. Arrau has denied any connection to Cerimedo and rejected claims that campaign digital strategies utilized artificial mechanisms.

Academic Mario Herrera Muñoz from the University of Talca explained that bot operations have evolved from individual accounts to hundreds of thousands of parallel accounts used to viralize content. He noted that while these tools can multiply interactions and create the appearance of widespread support—a tactic known as “astroturfing”—amplifying an idea does not necessarily equate to changing voter behavior.