UK secretly paid YouTube influencers for propaganda
Revealed: Media agency Zinc Network has contract to recruit social media influencers across Europe.
Videos are secretly funded and signed-off by UK Foreign Office
NDAs ban influencers from disclosing government involvement
Contractor accused of election ‘interference’ in Slovakia against left-wing candidate
The UK government is secretly paying foreign YouTube stars to publish “propaganda” videos, Declassified can reveal.
A three-year investigation has found that online influencers are made to sign legal contracts banning them from disclosing the government’s involvement.
Whitehall officials give “feedback” on each video before the influencers are allowed to publish them.
The work is coordinated by a London-based media agency, Zinc Network Ltd, on behalf of the Foreign Office in a deal worth nearly £10m of public money.
Co-founded by a former Conservative Party spin doctor, the company has won lucrative contracts from the UK, US and Australian governments, becoming a major player in Western influence operations.
Zinc has previously been exposed for secretly setting up Muslim news platforms on Facebook as part of the government’s counter-extremism Prevent strategy.
But the company’s foreign influence tactics can now be exposed thanks to whistleblowers, leaked documents, Freedom of Information disclosures and analysis of dozens of LinkedIn profiles.
Election interference
Speaking to Declassified, one former employee described Zinc’s work as “state propaganda” and accused it of interference in foreign elections.
Another said the relationship with some online influencers was “extremely exploitative”.
In recent years the company has recruited hundreds of internet celebrities for various clients, particularly in central and eastern Europe, a key battleground in the information war with Russia.
Zinc staff tried to find the “most relatable influencers” and ensured that every video “feels authentic”.
Crucially, the influencers are instructed to sign non-disclosure agreements prior to being told about Foreign Office involvement.
As a result, anyone watching their videos would have no idea they had been funded and signed-off by UK government officials.
The work has included a campaign to mobilise young voters in the 2023 Slovakian elections. That election was ultimately won by Robert Fico’s left-wing nationalist Smer party, which is seen as being “pro-Russian” and which has been “dependent on older voters” – compared to the younger, pro-Europe Progressive Slovakia party.
More
https://www.declassifieduk.org/uk-government-secretly-paid-foreign-youtube-stars-for-propaganda/
https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/notice/f3b7a33f-e1c8-4435-92ae-a84ce9e8d6e8?origin=SearchResults&p=1
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-06-16/60204/