Key facts
- A network of Instagram accounts is promoting the crossing from Morocco to Ceuta.
- These accounts offer paid advice for migrants seeking to cross.
- The journey is portrayed as easy and safe, despite real dangers.
An investigation has revealed a network of Instagram accounts promoting the perilous journey from Morocco to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, offering paid advice for crossing. These accounts, many using the term 'Haraga', manipulate social media algorithms to attract migrants, portraying the dangerous trip as easy and safe, contributing to a recent influx and diplomatic tensions.
This investigation highlights how social media algorithms can be exploited to facilitate dangerous human smuggling operations, contributing to migration crises and diplomatic tensions. The deceptive content fuels perilous journeys, putting vulnerable individuals at risk of death and exploitation.
A network of Instagram accounts is actively encouraging migrants to attempt the dangerous journey from Morocco to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, offering paid advice and portraying the crossing as easy and safe. An investigation by the BBC used a dummy account to interact with these profiles, which often use the term 'Haraga' and manipulate social media algorithms to gain traction. These accounts create 'mirage' content, showing idealized versions of Ceuta and the crossing, despite real-world dangers including drownings. One account offered advice for 5000 dirhams (£400) for information on how to cross, claiming to have helped many people. The content has contributed to a recent influx of migrants and has inflamed diplomatic tensions between Morocco and Spain. Following the BBC's contact, Meta has removed several of the offending profiles, stating they are monitoring the situation and removing content that violates policies against human smuggling services.