Sri Lankan Facebook 'Expert' Profits from UK Disinformation Network
A Sri Lankan social media influencer has reportedly earned more than £230,000 by operating a network of Facebook pages dedicated to spreading anti-migrant and Islamophobic disinformation about Britain. Geeth Sooriyapura, who presents himself as a monetisation coach, is at the centre of an operation uncovered by The Bureau of Investigative Journalism.
The Disinformation Operation and Its Methods
Investigators have linked Sooriyapura and his students to 128 Facebook pages and groups that collectively reached an audience of 1.6 million users. These pages, with names like 'Together for Britain' and 'Proper British Pride', were filled with conspiracy theories and false claims.
Among the fabricated stories circulated was an allegation that the Labour Party is owned and operated by Islam. Another persistent falsehood claimed that London's council houses are available exclusively to Muslims. In March, one page falsely stated that London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan had promised to build 40,000 council homes solely for Muslims.
Sooriyapura runs an academy teaching others how to establish similar pages, with more than 2,500 students reportedly coached worldwide. In a YouTube tutorial, he explicitly advised targeting Britain due to high engagement with political topics like immigration. He recommended focusing on elderly audiences, stating they are 'the ones who don't like immigrants'.
The content often contained spelling and grammatical errors and included AI-generated images. One fabricated video even depicted Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer kissing Labour Party donor Lord Alli.
Profiting from Division and the Aftermath
Sooriyapura's revenue stream came from advertisements shown in videos on these pages. He claimed that a single page earned him over £1,000 in one month—equivalent to approximately three months' average salary in Sri Lanka. He frequently flaunted this income on social media, posting images of expensive watches, meals at five-star restaurants, and a luxury apartment with a pool.
When confronted, Sooriyapura denied wrongdoing, calling the situation a 'misunderstanding'. He stated, 'We just educate people on facebook monetuzation and audience targeting'.
A spokesman for Mayor Sadiq Khan emphasised the real-world impact, stating: 'Fake and racist content online has real world consequences. It can stoke hatred as well as fuel prejudice and division.' The spokesman also highlighted that AI is supercharging the spread of disinformation, making it easier to create convincing fake content.
Meta, Facebook's parent company, confirmed it had taken action, stating: 'We removed the pages that violated our policies on inauthentic behaviour.'
