The UK Foreign Office gave millions of pounds to a media contractor to secretly shape public opinion in foreign countries, Declassified UK has reported. The agency, Zinc Network, is believed to have received nearly £10 million ($13 million) to recruit influencers across Europe.
Zinc is a London-based company that pays YouTubers and internet personalities in Central and Eastern Europe and the Baltics to produce political content. While the company says it is committed to transparency, the creators it employs are bound by strict non-disclosure agreements not to disclose ties to the British government.
Former employees have described the operation as “state propaganda.” One told Declassified that the relationship between Zinc and the influencers was “extremely exploitative.”
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