Domain-registration records tied to Median Strategies led the Guardian to identify 21-year-old Rahil Prakash as the creator of the bogus Los Angeles mayoral poll; Prakash told the Los Angeles Times the report was “fully accurate.”
Prakash said little beyond declining an interview, but Median Strategies had earlier described the poll as a short-term social experiment testing how unverified polling could spread through the political information ecosystem.
The sham survey showed Karen Bass leading Nithya Raman by nearly 12 points, was reported by the California Post and promoted on social media by Bass before the Times exposed it as fake.
Prakash told the Guardian he was inspired by a Michigan Senate primary polling miss and also released fake election data in Nevada and Wisconsin.
Legal risk may hinge on motive: Prakash and Median Strategies said the poll was not meant to influence prediction markets, while experts have said financial intent could create jeopardy.