Russian bots have turned him into a deepfake. He avoids travelling to the US over fears he could…

Bellingcat founder Eliot Higgins has revealed that he has been the target of Russian deepfake campaigns, a situation that has forced him to alter his personal safety habits. Following years of high-stakes investigative work, Higgins now avoids traveling to the United States due to concerns that he may have been placed on a watchlist as a result of these coordinated digital attacks.

What happened

Russian bots have utilized deepfake technology to misrepresent Higgins, creating fabricated media that has contributed to an environment of persistent insecurity. In an interview with Follow the Money, Higgins noted that the nature of these threats has led to significant psychological strain, stating that "the paranoia gets to you." This experience highlights the broader impact of disinformation campaigns, where the goal of malicious actors is not just to spread false narratives, but to destabilize the target's sense of reality and personal security. The uncertainty regarding whether threats are genuine or part of a psychological operation designed to cause mental distress has become a defining feature of his professional life as an investigator.