Coordinated inauthentic behaviour (CIB)

Originally a platform-defined term, CIB is the umbrella that covers fake-persona networks, bot amplification and astroturfing when they operate in concert. The emphasis is on two things at once: coordination (many accounts acting as one) and inauthenticity (concealed or fabricated identity). It is judged by behaviour and origin, not by whether any individual post is true or false.

AI has lowered the cost and raised the realism of every component, making networks of fake personas cheaper to run and harder to unmask — which is why detection increasingly focuses on coordination patterns rather than content alone.