Microsoft’s Brad Smith on digital resilience during geopolitical volatility
Microsoft’s vice chair & president Brad Smith joins Atlantic Council and ACTech for a timely #ACFrontPage conversation on maintaining trust and promoting competitiveness in a time of trade and geopolitical volatility.
Explore the pravda network
DFRLab’s groundbreaking investigations , in collaboration with Check First, uncover how the Russian Pravda network leverages cross-platform, multilingual influence operations and manipulates Wikipedia, large language models, and X to amplify pro-Kremlin narratives.
Latest PUBLICATIONS
June 2025
Deepfake video of Canadian Prime Minister reaches millions on TikTok, X
Even after removal and debunking, the video’s claims gained traction via high-profile accounts.
June 2025
Kremlin-affiliated outlets find digital ally in Colombia’s oldest guerrilla group
US-designated terrorist organization ELN oversees a vast digital operation that promotes pro-Kremlin and anti-US content
June 2025
Konstantinos Komaitis’ statement to the UN Informal Interactive WSIS stakeholder consultation
Konstantinos Komaitis’ statement regarding the progress and challenges of implementing the goals from the World Summit on the Information Society.
June 2025
Unveiling the Russian infrastructure supporting the Moldova24 TV channel
A newly created Moldovan broadcaster claims to be independent. We uncovered a web of connections to Russian state media.
May 2025
Banned, yet broadcasting: Sanctioned Belarusian state media influencing the Polish elections
Belarusian state media uses digital platforms to promote candidates and shape narratives within Poland ahead of the 2025 presidential elections.
May 2025
Online network with French ties promotes election interference claims in Romania
A Romanian news aggregator amplifying claims of Simion’s victory is tied to a France-based company that also targeted Africa and Asia
May 2025
From Bucharest to Chisinau: How pro-Kremlin networks shaped Romania’s 2025 election
Russia-aligned actors in both Romania and Moldova consolidate support for George Simion in final days of campaign.
May 2025
Pro-Kremlin actors exploit USAID scrutiny to destabilize Moldova’s pre-election landscape
Multiple apparent influence campaigns using USAID cuts to promote election denialism and push for criminalization of Moldova’s ruling party
May 2025
South African influencers-for-hire attack Zelenskyy for declining Victory Day ceasefire
Multiple South African X accounts linked to paid influencer marketplace also participated in previous campaign that advanced pro-Russian narratives.
May 2025
How a misleading viral video fueled a Canadian election fraud hoax
Tracing how a viral hoax falsely linked election workers to ballot box fraud
May 2025
The evolving role of AI-generated media in shaping disinformation campaigns
A methodological examination of how malicious actors exploit visual generative models
April 2025
How social media shaped the 2025 Canadian election
Platform enforcement gaps, AI-generated spam, and foreign interference concerns converged during high-stakes political contest.
April 2025
Bot-like activity targets Canadian political parties and their leaders ahead of election
Canadian federal election subject to spam messaging from automated X accounts.
April 2025
Narrative and provocation: What Telegram had to say about the February attack on Chornobyl nuclear plant
Russian media and Telegram channels shifted blame onto Ukraine for the recent attack on the Chornobyl nuclear power plant and amplified narratives of potential nuclear escalation.
April 2025
Russia’s Pravda network in numbers: Introducing the Pravda Dashboard
The Pravda Dashboard reveals how Russia’s global network circumvents sanctions on prohibited content
April 2025
Russia expands its strategic footprint in occupied Abkhazia
The reopening of the decades-closed Sukhumi Babushara Airport and a test flight from Moscow demonstrate Russia’s push for control over occupied Abkhazia
March 2025
How Azerbaijani media and politicians endorse Georgia’s shift away from the West
Politicians and pro-government media in Azerbaijan packages Georgia’s anti-Western rhetoric and political shift for a domestic audience, reinforcing the narrative of Western decline.
March 2025
Cross-platform campaign sows anti-Europe division in Moldova
Campaign utilized a primary Telegram channel and thousands of Facebook accounts to post comments critical of Moldova’s pro-European stance
Upcoming & Recent Events
Governing emerging technology in Africa
Join the Atlantic Council’s Democracy + Tech Initiative on March 10 at 9:00 am ET for the launch of Emerging technology policies and democracy in Africa: South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, and Zambia in focus
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.
