29-10-2024 (SIGNAPORE) A groundbreaking study by the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) has revealed significant Russian connections to Alamak.io, one of ten websites recently blocked by Singaporean authorities for suspected inauthentic content distribution.
The research, published on 25 October by Benjamin Ang and Dymples Leong of RSIS, establishes direct technical links between Alamak.io and Russian communications agency 5+1 Media through shared IP addresses and domain infrastructure. The Russian agency, founded in 2018 by Moscow State Institute alumni, is headed by Yuri Antsiferov and specialises in targeted advertising and news monitoring.
Technical analysis revealed that Alamak.io, created in March 2023, deliberately positioned itself as a Singaporean platform by adopting local colloquialisms and republishing content from established Singapore news outlets. However, investigators found no evidence of local ownership or funding, instead tracing connections to entities in Germany, Estonia, and Russia.
The website’s content strategy raised particular concerns, with researchers noting that many articles were likely AI-generated, achieving probability scores of up to 98% in artificial intelligence detection tests. Of special interest were several opinion pieces authored by Nikolay Kudashev, Russia’s ambassador to Singapore, addressing topics such as Russia-ASEAN relations and challenging established international frameworks.
More alarming was the discovery of misinformation regarding Singapore’s alleged involvement in foreign biological warfare research programmes. The Ministry of Home Affairs and Infocomm Media Development Authority highlighted this as particularly problematic when announcing the site’s blocking.
Unlike legitimate news platforms, Alamak.io operated without visible revenue streams, lacking both advertisements and subscription models. This unusual financial structure, combined with its opaque ownership and AI-generated content, prompted researchers to warn of potential foreign interference risks.
While the RSIS study stops short of definitively labelling Alamak.io as an information manipulation tool, it emphasises the need for continued vigilance against such sophisticated attempts at foreign influence operations targeting Singapore’s information ecosystem.
