Latest Research
April 2024
Markets Matter: A Glance into the Spyware Industry
The Intellexa Consortium is a complex web of holding companies and vendors for spyware and related services. The Consortium represents a compelling example of spyware vendors in the context of the market in which they operate—one which helps facilitate the commercial sale of software driving both human rights and national security risk.
April 2024
O$$ Security: Does More Money for Open Source Software Mean Better Security? A Proof of Concept
A proof-of-concept study looking for correlation between open source software project funding and security practices at scale.
April 2024
Moldova in the digital crosshairs of anonymous, pro-Russian Telegram channels
Anonymous Telegram channels attempt to discredit Moldova’s pro-European government and amplify pro-Russian narratives
April 2024
The GDC zero draft: the good, the bad, and the ugly
DFRLab Senior Resident Fellow for Global and Democratic Governance Konstantinos Komaitis takes a look at the Global Digital Compact’s zero draft
April 2024
Kremlin-linked Telegram channels seed anti-Ukraine and anti-West narratives in Bulgaria
Pro-Kremlin Bulgarian Telegram channels amplify disinformation seeded by Kremlin-run channels
March 2024
Inauthentic campaign amplifying Islamophobic content targeting Canadians
Accounts used AI-generated photos and inauthentic accounts to amplify Islamophobic account claiming to be a new Canadian nonprofit
March 2024
Suspicious Facebook assets amplify pro-Kremlin Bulgarian ‘mushroom’ websites
More than one hundred Facebook assets promoted links to external websites sharing pro-Kremlin propaganda in Bulgaria
March 2024
Unpacking the Kremlin media blitz surrounding Gagauzia leader’s Russia visit
Eugenia Gutul’s meeting with Vladimir Putin drives Kremlin news cycle positioning Russia as “protector” of Gagauzia and Moldova as its “oppressor”
March 2024
How to consume information in times of conflict
Unverified information can exacerbate conflicts. Recognizing and scrutinizing it should become reflexive for all of us
December 2023
Russian War Report: Putin to run for re-election in annexed regions of Ukraine
The Central Election Commission confirmed the possibility of holding presidential elections in illegally annexed Ukrainian territories.
November 2023
Russian War Report: Pro-Kremlin surrogates accuse the US of using ‘climate weapons’ in Crimea
Following a severe storm in the Black Sea heavily impacted Crimea, pro-Kremlin sources circulated a conspiracy suggesting the US used a weather weapon.
November 2023
Russian War Report: Desperate for recruits, Russia offers one million rubles to join its military
The Russian army is struggling to fund equipment and recruit as they host fundraisers and recruitment drives offering pledges of one million rubl
November 2023
Russian War Report: Russia just lost the most troops in a single battle so far in 2023
In Ukriane, fighting over the strategically important town of Avdiivka has led to heavy Russian losses. In Armenia, Russian propaganda is targeting the Armenian government.
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Upcoming & Recent Events
Using data for accountability: Lessons learned from the Oversight Board’s impact
In this discussion, Oversight Board Head of Data & Implementation and DFRLab Non-Resident Fellow Naomi Shiffman presents lessons learned from the Board’s work.
Undermining Ukraine: How Russia widened global information operations in 2023
The launch of the DFRLab’s latest report investigating pro-Kremlin propaganda and disinformation tools and narratives worldwide.
How Ukraine fights Russian disinformation: Beehive vs mammoth
A discussion led by report co-authors Jakub Kalenský and Roman Osadchuk about Ukraine’s groundbreaking strategies against Russian disinformation.
Elections Everywhere All at Once
An expert conversation on the implications of the 83 elections occurring in 78 countries in 2024.
Deconstructing the Israel-Hamas disinformation war
A two-panel discussion on how disinformation, propaganda, and social media policies have shaped perception of the crisis.
Protecting point-to-point messaging apps: Understanding Telegram, WeChat, and WhatsApp
The DFRLab hosts the launch of its newest report on the dynamics of point-to-point messaging apps with an expert conversation on how policymakers and platforms can mitigate behavior infringing terms of usage on these apps.
Democracy + Tech Initiative
The Democracy + Tech Initiative creates policy practices that align global stakeholders toward tech and governance that reinforces, rather than undermines, open societies.
Cyber Statecraft Initiative
The Cyber Statecraft Initiative works at the nexus of geopolitics and cybersecurity to craft strategies to better inform and secure users of technology.
Digital Sherlocks Training Program
Combatting disinformation can’t be done alone; ultimately it requires a growing movement of individuals taking the lead around the world and in their own communities. It’s these #DigitalSherlocks who are at the heart of our movement.
About DFRLab
The Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research leads the study of information to promote transparency and accountability online and around the world.
