Content

Thu, Feb 9, 2023

Data leak suggests crackdown on anti-war social media posts by Russia’s telecom regulator

Roskomnadzor reportedly deleted 150,000 anti-war posts and intends to deploy bot farms to censor anti-war content

by Valentin Châtelet

Belarus Digital Policy
Participants walk past a screen displaying the RUTUBE logo at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in Saint Petersburg, Russia ,June 17, 2022. (Source: Reuters/Anton Vaganov)

Mon, Jan 30, 2023

How Russian YouTube copycat RUTUBE promotes pro-Kremlin narratives

RUTUBE’s mix of Kremlin narratives and entertainment has seen a surge of referral traffic since Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Business Disinformation
Data visualization of incoming and outgoing mentions between Latvian channels and a broader network of pro-Kremlin Telegram channels. (Source: @nikaaleksejeva/DFRLab via Flourish)

Fri, Jan 20, 2023

Pro-Kremlin Telegram channels try to convince Latvians their government is ‘fascist’

Newly created pro-Kremlin Telegram channels target Russian speakers in Latvia

by Nika Aleksejeva

Baltics Disinformation
Still from the movie “The Battle at Lake Changjin,” which depicts Chinese soldiers fighting UN forces during the Korean War. (Source: Xinhua)

Thu, Jan 12, 2023

How China funds foreign influence campaigns

CCP financial statements reveal details of influence operations, from news programming to documentaries to feature films

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Advertising China
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy holds a national flag as he visits a position of Ukrainian service members in the frontline town of Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, December 20, 2022. (Source: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters Connect)

Thu, Dec 22, 2022

2022 at the DFRLab: a year in review

In 2022, the Digital Forensic Research Lab investigated online harms and documented stories of resilience from Ukraine to Uvalde.

by Andy Carvin

Africa Americas
Vladimir Putin addresses RT staff in Moscow at an event celebrating the tenth anniversary of the network, December 10, 2015.

Wed, Nov 30, 2022

Analizando el volumen de las narrativas del Kremlin dirigidas al mundo hispanohablante

La interacción con los contenidos de RT en español disminuyó en Facebook, pero continúa floreciendo en Twitter

by Esteban Ponce de León

API Conflict
Vladimir Putin addresses RT staff in Moscow at an event celebrating the tenth anniversary of the network, December 10, 2015.

Wed, Nov 30, 2022

Analyzing the volume of Kremlin narratives targeting the Spanish-speaking world

Engagement with RT en Español content decreased on Facebook but continues to flourish on Twitter

by Esteban Ponce de León

API Conflict
Anti-LGBTQ counter-protesters stomp on a rainbow flag during a protest by gay rights activists in central Moscow, June 11, 2013. (Source: Reuters/Maxim Shemetov)

Fri, Nov 18, 2022

Russian War Report: Russia defends ‘traditional values,’ criminalizes LGBTQ ‘propaganda’

After two Polish citizens were killed by a missile, Poland and NATO both say the hit was not a Russian attack.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Central Europe Civil Society
People gather during a protest held by supporters of Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro at the Army headquarters in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 15, 2022. The sign reads: “SOS Army Forces.” (Source: REUTERS/Pilar Olivares)

Fri, Nov 18, 2022

Election fraud narratives surge on Brazilian Twitter following Bolsonaro defeat

#BrazilWasStolen hashtag spreads across Twitter and other platforms.

by Esteban Ponce de León

Brazil Disinformation
Members of the Tunisian Journalists Union rally in support of imprisoned Moroccan journalists Omar Radi and Souleimane Raissouni on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, May 3, 2021.

Thu, Nov 17, 2022

How inauthentic Facebook accounts targeted detained Moroccan journalists

Facebook removed a network of user accounts with potential links to Morocco-based campaign de-platformed in 2021

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Africa Civil Society
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a welcoming ceremony before talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, April 3, 2018. (Source: Reuters/Thomas Peter)

Wed, Nov 9, 2022

China spearheads social media campaign to attack civil society in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe’s ruling ZANU-PF party targets opposition figures with Chinese government assistance.

by Kenton Thibaut

Africa China
A man stands next to a building damaged by shelling during border clashes with Azerbaijan in the town of Jermuk, Armenia, September 15, 2022.

Mon, Nov 7, 2022

How the September 2022 Azerbaijan-Armenia clashes played out online

Inorganic Twitter activity, graphic Telegram footage of war crimes, and TikTok bans all surfaced in wake of recent clashes.

by Givi Gigitashvili, Esteban Ponce de León

Armenia Azerbaijan