A new investigation by a consortium of journalists claims it has exposed a group of Israeli contractors that have been manipulating elections around the world for more than two decades.

The consortium includes journalists from more than 30 outlets including Le Monde, Der Spiegel and El País. In documents leaked to The Guardian, the consortium says the group is led by a former Israeli special forces’ operative named Tal Hanan and operates under the moniker “Team Jorge”.

The exposé, which claims the group has manipulated the outcome of more than 30 elections by using a range of hacking, sabotage and automated disinformation on social media, is the outcome of undercover footage and documents.

The newspaper said that Hanan allegedly told undercover reporters that his services were available to intelligence agencies, political campaigns and private companies that wanted to secretly manipulate public opinion.

Hanan, who allegedly disclosed that his group’s services had been used across Africa, South and Central America, the US and Europe, is reportedly ‘weaponising disinformation’ as part of its efforts to covertly meddle in elections and leave no trace.

In footage obtained by undercover journalists posing as prospective clients, Hanan and his team reportedly spoke of how they could gather intelligence on rivals, including by using hacking techniques to access Gmail and Telegram accounts. The group is also said to have boasted of planting material in legitimate news outlets, which are then amplified by bots.

Hanan did not respond to detailed questions from The Guardian but denies any wrongdoing.

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