By Jurga Bakaitė, LRT.lt.

Allegations have surfaced in Lithuania that critics of the political party Nemunas Dawn are being blocked on Facebook after sharing posts critical of the party, prompting concerns among experts about the use of inauthentic accounts to influence online debate.

Communication specialist Karolis Žukauskas says his social media accounts were restricted after he published information questioning the financing of Nemunas Dawn. He also said users who shared his content were blocked.

Žukauskas has called on law enforcement to open a new investigation into the party’s funding, arguing that financial support from individuals and legal entities may have been collected in a non-transparent manner after a previous probe was discontinued.

He said his account has been flooded with inauthentic profiles from abroad, with follower numbers at times increasing by tens of thousands overnight.

Experts interviewed by LRT.lt said it is unclear who may have initiated such activity, but warned that the dominance of fake accounts on social media is concerning.

Read more: LRT.LT