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Taylor Swift Nazi conspiracy was created by ‘nefarious’ bot network, report finds
The smear campaign was linked to the release of her latest album, The Life of a Showgirl
December 11, 2025 11:31
The smear campaign was linked to the release of her latest album, The Life of a Showgirl
December 11, 2025 11:31The false narrative that “Taylor Swift is a Nazi” – which surfaced during the release of her latest album, The Life of a Showgirl – was created by “inauthentic users” i.e. bots, according to a report by Gudea, an AI-driven behavioural intelligence platform.
The report, titled Taylor Swift: Anatomy of a Narrative, sought to unpick the recent controversy surrounding the singer, which suggested that her latest album was littered with right-wing references which belied her true political leanings.
According to Rolling Stone, who broke the story, the accusations levelled against the star “focused on specific word choices (her use of the term ‘savage’ on the song ‘Eldest Daughter’ was interpreted as racist) and symbols (a necklace for sale on her website stirred up Nazi comparisons because its lightning bolt charms bore a passing resemblance to the bolt pattern worn by the SS).”
Gudea analysed 24,679 posts from 18,213 users across 14 platforms to understand how the rumours started, and discovered that just 3.77 per cent of users “disproportionately shaped discourse volume”, leading them to conclude that this was a coordinated campaign of “inauthentic provocation”.
Gudea went on to explain how real users – largely Swifties who took to social media to defend the singer against the allegations – made the situation worse by inadvertently amplifying the false narrative.
“This demonstrates how a strategically seeded falsehood can convert into widespread authentic discourse, reshaping public perception even when most users do not believe the originating claim,” the platform wrote.
Although Gudea was unable to identify the people behind the smear campaign, Georgia Paul, its head of customer success, told Rolling Stone: “There might be other nefarious actors, not US-based, who have reasons to see, ‘If I can move the fan base for Taylor Swift – an icon who is this political figure, in a way – does that mean I can do it in other places?’”
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