Human Rights

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

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

Thu, Mar 28, 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

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Disinformation Facebook

Mon, Mar 4, 2024

Online campaign targeted Egyptian economist after his death in custody

Suspicious accounts on Facebook and X amplified state narratives about Ayman Hadhoud as human rights groups raised questions about his death

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Egypt Facebook

Mon, Jan 22, 2024

Gang violence and hostage-taking sow fear across Ecuadorian social media

Graphic content related to violent incidents in Ecuador has garnered millions of views on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter

by Esteban Ponce de León

Corruption Ecuador
Hatice Cengiz, fiancee of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi, testifies before a House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee hearing on "The Dangers of Reporting on Human Rights" on Capitol Hill in Washington U.S., May 16, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Fri, Dec 22, 2023

Pro-Saudi X accounts repeatedly harassed activist and fiancée of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi

Turkish activist Hatice Cengiz, fiancée of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, targeted with death threats and insults on the platform formerly known as Twitter

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Human Rights Online Harassment

Thu, Dec 21, 2023

DFRLab research highlights from 2023

From the war in Ukraine to the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, the DFRLab's international team of researchers investigated information operations and online harms around the world

by Andy Carvin, Layla Mashkoor

China Conflict

Mon, Dec 4, 2023

Egyptian social media reacts to calls for evacuating Gaza residents into Sinai

Narratives calling for displacement of Gaza Palestinians into the Sinai Peninsula met with rejection in Egyptian social media

by Dina Sadek

Conflict Egypt

Tue, Sep 19, 2023

Pro-Kremlin groups mobilize online supporters to attack Tbilisi Pride Festival

Pro-Kremlin actors stormed the Tbilisi Pride Festival in July 2023, burning rainbow and Ukrainian flags

by Sopo Gelava

CrowdTangle Disinformation

Tue, Sep 5, 2023

Former Jordan MP promotes anti-LGBTQ+ Twitter campaign

Escalation in anti-LGBTQ+ activity takes place as Jordan adopts draconian amendments to cybercrime law

by Dina Sadek

Disinformation Government
Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) listens to Arkady Volozh, Chief Executive Officer of Yandex, as he visits the headquarters of the company in Moscow, Russia September 21, 2017. Sputnik/Alexei Druzhinin/Kremlin via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY.

Thu, Aug 10, 2023

Russian War Report: Co-founder of Russia’s most popular search engine condemns war in Ukraine

A co-founder of Yandex, Russia's primary search engine, issued a public statement of opposition to the war in Ukraine and acknowledging his "share of responsibility."

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

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