Civil Society

Tue, Dec 10, 2024

Suspicious Georgia protest-related Facebook ads lure users into financial scam

Many ads impersonated local media outlets to direct users to financial scam websites

by Sopo Gelava, Givi Gigitashvili

Advertising Civil Society

Mon, Nov 4, 2024

How mainstream Georgian media shaped perceptions of the foreign agent law protests

Georgian media promoted opposing views, with TV channels critical of the law outperforming pro-government channels

by Sopo Gelava, Givi Gigitashvili, Esteban Ponce de León

Civil Society CrowdTangle

Tue, Jul 9, 2024

How Kenya’s tax bill protests spread online

After the bill's withdrawal, online conversations continued to call for President Ruto's resignation

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Civil Society CrowdTangle
A demonstrator makes a heart-shaped gesture while standing in front of a police cordon during a rally to protest against the so-called foreign agents bill in Tbilisi, Georgia, May 1, 2024. (Source: REUTERS/Irakli Gedenidze/File Photo)

Thu, May 2, 2024

Pro-government Facebook ads target protests against foreign agents bill in Georgia

Dozens of Facebook ads targeted Georgian protesters with anti-Western and anti-LGBTQ+ narratives

by Sopo Gelava

Advertising Civil Society

Mon, Apr 22, 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.

by Jen Roberts, Trey Herr, Emma Taylor, Nitansha Bansal

Civil Society Cybersecurity
generative art rendering of a swarm of bees surrounding the face of an elephant

Wed, Jan 24, 2024

How Ukraine fights Russian disinformation: Beehive vs mammoth

Best practices in countering Russian disinformation, propaganda and information aggression, based on interviews with nearly two dozen Ukrainian practitioners

by Jakub Kalenský, Roman Osadchuk

Civil Society Digital Policy
Tarek el-Nabarawy poses with supporters ahead of the Egyptian Engineers Syndicate vote, May 30, 2023.

Thu, Oct 19, 2023

Pro-government Twitter accounts targeted head of Egyptian Engineers Syndicate

Suspicious accounts used duplicated content to attack syndicate head Tarek el-Nabarawy

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Civil Society Egypt
Telephone with messaging apps. “Protecting point-to-point messaging apps: Understanding Telegram, WeChat, and WhatsApp in the United States” cover image.

Mon, Aug 14, 2023

Protecting point-to-point messaging apps: Understanding Telegram, WeChat, and WhatsApp in the United States

A year-long project on protecting users' data and privacy that analyzes the growing use of point-to-point messaging platforms in the United States and the implications their design and governing policies have for user privacy and free speech.

by Iria Puyosa

Democracy Derailed report cover art

Tue, Aug 8, 2023

Sudan’s precarious information environment and the fight for democracy

An examination of the time from December 2018, when protests against then-president Omar al-Bashir first broke out, and December 2022, when a framework agreement between civilian and military leaders came into play.

by Tessa Knight, Lujain Alsedeg

People attend a vigil at St Peter's church in Nottingham, UK after three people were killed in the city center, June 13, 2023. (Source: Reuters)

Fri, Aug 4, 2023

UK murders spur xenophobic narratives and conspiracy theories

The murders, allegedly committed by an immigrant of West African descent, led to broader campaign of dehumanization of migrants and calls for closed borders

by Meghan Conroy, Tessa Knight

Civil Society Human Rights
People in Taunton, UK watch on a large screen the funeral service for Barnaby Webber, one of the victims of the Nottingham attack, July 14, 2023. (Source: Reuters)

Fri, Aug 4, 2023

Nottingham murders serve as rallying point for far-right UK influencers

Anti-immigrant influencers weaponized immigration status of the accused murderer to spread racist, Islamophobic rhetoric

by Meghan Conroy, Tessa Knight

Civil Society Europe
SCREENCAP: RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN SPEAKS AT RUSSIA-AFRICA FORUM AT ST. PETERSBURG, SAYING RUSSIA IS READY TO USE REGIONAL CURRENCIES FOR SETTLEMENTS WITH AFRICAN COUNTRIES

Thu, Jul 27, 2023

Russian War Report: Kremlin seeks stronger ties in Africa as Wagner eyes Niger coup

As Russian president Vladimir Putin attends the Russia-Africa Summit, he and his government are making moves to solidify regional cooperation. Amid this, Wagner seeks to capitalize on the coup in Niger.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab