Meltwater Explore

Tue, Feb 20, 2024

French prime minister faces onslaught of online attacks

Investment scam promoted via Meta Ads, AI-fueled smear campaigns on X, and a Russian-led disinformation operation, and ignite a social media frenzy around Gabriel Attal

by Valentin Châtelet

Advertising Artificial Intelligence
UNRWA headquarters in Gaza City, September 19, 2018. (Source: REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa)

Wed, Feb 14, 2024

Suspicious accounts on X amplify allegations against UNRWA

More than 130 X accounts exhibiting hallmarks of inauthentic coordination targeted US politicians with messaging critical of the UN agency in Gaza

by Dina Sadek, Digital Forensic Research Lab

Conflict Gaza
Brazilian Justice Luis Roberto Barroso, September 28, 2023. (Source: Mateus Bonomi/AGIF via Reuters Connect)

Thu, Jan 11, 2024

Pro-Bolsonaro social media accounts target Brazilian Supreme Court justice

Accounts advocating for the impeachment of Chief Justice Luis Roberto Barroso sought to delegitimize the Brazilian judiciary system

by Beatriz Farrugia, Esteban Ponce de León

Americas Brazil
KRAKOW, POLAND - OCTOBER 13: Voting at a polling station during the parliamentary elections on October 15, 2023 in Krakow. Poland. Parliamentary elections were held in Poland on October 15. The elections were accompanied by a highly controversial referendum during which four questions were asked, including about migration policy. (Source: Klaudia Radecka/NurPhoto via Reuters)

Wed, Dec 13, 2023

How foreign actors targeted Polish information environment ahead of parliamentary elections

Foreign - or seemingly foreign - actors implemented different interference actions in order to influence Polish voters or foment societal instability

by Givi Gigitashvili

Central Europe Central Europe

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
Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets launched from the Gaza Strip, as seen from the city of Ashkelon, Israel October 9, 2023. (Source: Reuters/Amir Cohen/File Photo)

Wed, Oct 18, 2023

Network of South Asian Twitter accounts spreading Israel-Palestine war disinfo

Accounts exhibiting signs of coordination amplify divisive copypasta targeting both sides of the conflict

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Deceptive Content Manipulation Disinformation
President of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, President of China Xi Jinping, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov pose for a BRICS family photo during the 2023 BRICS Summit at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, on August 23, 2023. (Source: Gianluigi Guercia/Pool via Reuters/File Photo)

Wed, Sep 6, 2023

Pro-Russian BRICS narratives in Latin America prospered during summit lead-up

In the six months ahead of the BRICS summit, narratives about a new multipolar world and the fall of US hegemony trended in Spanish-speaking Latin America information space

by Iria Puyosa

Argentina Brazil
BANNER: Dilma Rousseff, former president of Brazil and current president of the New Development Bank, speaks at the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, August 23, 2023.

Wed, Sep 6, 2023

BRICS narratives critical of US influence spread in Brazil prior to summit

Discussion on social media platforms focused on de-dollarization and waning US influence

by Beatriz Farrugia

Brazil Buzzsumo
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

Mon, Jul 24, 2023

Pro-Russia actors target Armenia with anti-Ukraine propaganda

Suspicious quotes magnified by pro-Russian sources used to undermine Ukraine's reputation in Armenia

by Ani Mejlumyan, Roman Osadchuk

Armenia Conflict
Banner: Human rights activist Gamal Eid is seen at a court in Cairo, March 24, 2016. (Source: Reuters/Asmaa Waguih)

Thu, Jul 6, 2023

Egyptian human rights defender repeatedly targeted by suspicious Twitter network 

Campaign attempted to harass and discredit activist Gamal Eid

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Egypt Human Rights

Wed, Jul 5, 2023

Saudi Arabia’s execution of two Bahrainis sparks competing hashtags on Twitter

Arabic hashtag condemning the execution significantly more popular than hashtag supporting the execution

by Dina Sadek

Government Human Rights