Coronavirus

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
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi bump elbows during the signing ceremony of a 25-year cooperation agreement in Tehran, March 27, 2021.

Mon, Feb 14, 2022

A moment of truth for China’s vaccine diplomacy in Iran

Iranian officials echoed Chinese messaging while touting vaccines and criticizing the United States.

by Simin Kargar

China Coronavirus
A nurse holds a vial of Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine doses in n Råå, Sweden on December 27, 2020.

Tue, Feb 8, 2022

Tracing the myth that COVID-19 vaccines alter human DNA

Incorrect claims falsely attributed to public health experts were later amplified by anti-vax doctors and activists

by Nika Aleksejeva, Lukas Andriukaitis, Jean le Roux, Roman Osadchuk, Ayushman Kaul, Daniel Suárez Pérez

Africa Coronavirus
A person wears a yellow arm band with a Star of David during a protest of vaccine mandates at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. on January 23, 2022. Anti-vaccine protesters have worn yellow arm bands to compare their current treatment in the United States to the treatment of Jewish people in Germany during the holocaust.

Wed, Feb 2, 2022

DC anti-mandate rally leveraged to broaden audience for anti-vax narratives

January 23 anti-vax rally softened messaging and utilized support from anti-mandate doctors to reach broader audiences.

by Jared Holt, Max Rizzuto

Coronavirus COVID-19
A health worker gestures during a day of immunization against Covid-19 with the compound manufactured in China Sinopharm aimed at high school students at a high school in the west of the city, in Caracas, Venezuela, October 29, 2021.

Wed, Jan 26, 2022

Pro-China messaging amplified in Venezuela’s “hashtag of the day”

Hashtag trended on Venezuelan Twitter alongside messages praising China for donating its vaccine and attacking US for sanctions.

by Daniel Suárez Pérez, Kenton Thibaut

China Coronavirus
A passenger is seen showing his vaccination document to a train conductor in Ukraine, October 21, 2021. A vaccination certificate or a negative test is required for inter-city travel by train, bus or planes.

Thu, Dec 16, 2021

Scammers use Telegram and Facebook ads to sell fake COVID certificates in Ukraine

Telegram hosts Ukrainian channels and accounts claiming to sell legitimate vaccine certificates, while FB ads are exploited to promote them.

by Roman Osadchuk

Coronavirus COVID-19

Sun, Feb 14, 2021

Weaponized: How rumors about COVID-19’s origins led to a narrative arms race

A joint research project from the Digital Forensic Research Lab and the Associate Press on information environments during the first six months of COVID-19.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

China Coronavirus