{
  "id": 3787334,
  "title": "OpenAI bans pro-Russia ChatGPT accounts used to spread pro-Kremlin content including an Israel-based think tank using real researchers’ names",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/27/openai-bans-pro-russia-chatgpt-accounts-used-to-spread-pro-kremlin",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-08-27T17:54:18.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fortune",
    "slug": "fortune",
    "url": "https://fortune.com/2026/08/27/openai-bans-cluster-russian-chatgpt-users-burke-institute-influence-campaign-cybersecurity/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "OpenAI has banned a cluster of ChatGPT accounts that were allegedly part of a pro-Russia operation. This operation aimed to spread disinformation against Western countries and promote the International Burke Institute, a think tank believed to be based in Israel. The banned accounts used VPNs to circumvent OpenAI's restriction on Russian users, then employed their technology to generate content that promoted the institute. The think tank's website, still active, lists notable contributors including Noam Chomsky, Francis Fukuyama, Shlomo Avineri, and Jiang Ping. However, these individuals did not know their names were being misattributed until contacted by Fortune. The website also included an \"index of sovereignty\" favoring Russia and contained dozens of articles with misattributed authors, often from deceased experts or using incorrect names. OpenAI found that 34 out of 36 academic articles on the Burke Institute's site were real but misattributed to other authors. For instance, an article on migration governance was taken from the Migration Policy Institute and falsely credited to Kate Howell, a professor from Melbourne, and Susan Ariel Aaronson, a George Washington University professor, who also denied any connection to the institute. The institute responded to French media outlet Le Monde by denying allegations of illegitimacy, stating that association with the Burke Institute or its findings does not imply cooperation or coordination. OpenAI's investigation also revealed that the institute's articles were mostly translated from Slavic languages and that the users behind the content typically attracted low engagement on social media platforms, except for Telegram, where they managed to gather 10,000 to 20,000 followers.",
  "summary": "OpenAI claims Russian users hid behind VPNs to push a think tank tied to an influence operation and spread pro-Russia content online.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "ZDNet",
        "title": "ChatGPT can log into your web accounts without you now - but should you let it?",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/27/chatgpt-can-log-into-your-web-accounts-without-you-now-but-should-you",
        "published": "2026-08-27T12:43:31.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}