The social network and “alternative” news page 77.lt, which attracts conspiracy theorists and fake news fans from the moment of its opening, is sponsored by a Lithuanian MEP and his ex-wife, Lithuanian public media LRT writes.
The website, backed by Lithuanian MEP and former Lithuanian Labor Party leader Viktoras Uspaskichas and his ex-wife Jolanta Blažytė, was launched in April and is regularly promoted by individuals known for spreading fake news. People are invited to join 77.lt, because it is said to be a place without censorship, no fact-checkers and “facts that are not acceptable to the system” can be found.
The page is part of Cross., a social project that presents itself as “a platform for free speech supported by artificial intelligence”.
It was created by Multiverse, a company registered in the Marshall Islands. The face of 77.lt is Ugnius Kiguolis – a controversial businessman who drew attention to himself during the pandemic by spreading fake news.
Kiguolis founded the non-governmental organization Petys į Petį, which also collects funds for 77.lt. It was created to “balance the information provided by the one-sided mass media”, and Uspaskichas and Blažytė provided the capital. Edvervita, the company owned by Uspaskichas gave 150 thousand euros to Kiguolis’ organization, and in 2021 – another 29 thousand euros.
Another 24,600 euros was awarded Petys į Petį by the charity fund Viltis-Vikonda, whose shareholder is also Blažytė.
In June, Dobilas Sinkevičius, a member of the board of the Lithuanian Families Movement, who for some time was also the deputy Petras Gražulis, and the editor of the news page Respublika.lt, became the director of Petys į Petį. Sinkevičius was previously closely involved in various political developments.
Blažytė is an active member of the 77.lt social network, where she regularly writes comments about the “pandemic conspiracy”, the war in Ukraine, and the involvement of the US.
The analysis carried out by LRT shows that a large part of the members of 77.lt are fake accounts. For example, when a new user posts a post, it gets “likes” immediately from five or six other profiles simultaneously. Upon further investigation, it turns out that these profiles are not real persons –
the profile picture is created by artificial intelligence programs, and the same posts are published simultaneously in all profiles.
On the other hand, the news published on 77.lt often has no real author, and these are mostly related to the war in Ukraine, American politics, and health issues.
One of the profiles on 77.lt allegedly belongs to the President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda. The president’s office confirmed that Nausėda definitely doesn’t have a profile there.
LRT was unable to obtain comments from Uspaskichas, Blažytė, Kiguolis, or Sinkevičius.
Read the full article in English here: https://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/2025595/lithuanian-mep-funds-alternative-news-website-lrt-investigation
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