Social Media Listening

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
Photo of a mural of Sarah Hegazi in Amman, which has now been painted over. (Source: Raya Sharbain/Wikimedia Commons)

Wed, Apr 5, 2023

Anti-LGBTQ+ campaigns spread on Arabic social media

The World Cup fueled online and offline campaigns promoting anti-LGBTQ sentiment and hateful rhetoric

by Dina Sadek

Algeria Civil Society
Bohdan, 'Fritz', the unit commander's deputy in the 79th Air Assault Brigade, fires a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) towards Russian positions on a front line near the town of Marinka, in the middle of the Russia attack on Ukraine, Donetsk region, Ukraine, February 14, 2023. REUTERS/Marko Djurica

Sat, Feb 18, 2023

Russian War Report: Failed Russian push on Vuhledar results in losses as Moscow increases troops

Vuhledar, a town connecting the northern and southern flanks, has been under an unsuccessful attack from Russian forces for two weeks.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Satellite image captures military transport aircraft at Russia’s Tsentralny military air base. (Source: Planet.com/DFRLab)

Fri, Jan 27, 2023

Russian War Report: Pro-Kremlin sources amplify forged diplomatic letters targeting Ukrainian refugees

As Russian shelling of Ukranian forces and civilian infrastructure continues, Ukraine receives the first of many tanks promised by NATO allies.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Screenshot of an animated video produced by the Wagner Group showing soldiers fighting French 'zombies' in West Africa.

Fri, Jan 20, 2023

Russian War Report: Wagner Group fights French ‘zombies’ in cartoon propaganda

Plus, more on Wagner's power struggles with the Russian defense ministry and Russia's apparent use of incendiary munitions in Kherson.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

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
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 walks by graffiti of the letter Z in St. Petersburg, March 4, 2022. The pro-war symbol is prominently featured on two of the ten most popular political Telegram channels in Russia.

Fri, Oct 21, 2022

What Russia reads on Telegram

Nine out of the top ten political Telegram channels in Russia spread Kremlin pro-war propaganda

by Eto Buziashvili

Disinformation Electorate
Ukrainian first responders attempt to quash a fire ignited by a Russian missile attack in Zaporizhzhia, October, 11, 2022. (Source: State Emergency Service of Ukraine via Reuters Connect

Fri, Oct 14, 2022

Russian War Report: Russia escalates war by targeting cities across Ukraine

Russia escalated its war against Ukraine this week with missile attacks and airstrikes on cities across the country, including the first serious attack in the capital Kyiv in months.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Belarus Civil Society
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi waves while leaving the parliament in Taipei, Taiwan, August 3, 2022.

Tue, Sep 13, 2022

How Chinese social media reacted to Nancy Pelosi’s Taiwan visit

Interest in Pelosi visit skyrocketed on Weibo before news fatigue set in.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

China Disinformation
Polish MP Grzegorz Braun, second from the left, at the launch of a political initiative in Rzeszow, Poland, July 25, 2022. Braun’s Twitter account was among a handful of authentic accounts that sought to amplify the #StopUkrainizacjiPolski hashtag, which reached Poland’s Trending list largely through inauthentic amplification. (Source: Reuters, Artur Widak/NurPhoto)

Tue, Aug 30, 2022

Twitter campaign pushes anti-Ukraine hashtag into Poland’s trending list

Largely inauthentic campaign pushed #StopUkrainizacjiPolski to the top of Poland’s trending list over the course of four days.

by Givi Gigitashvili

Brigading Conflict
Top pro-Kremlin channels gain followers faster, reach more people, and have more subscribers than those critical of the Kremlin

Fri, May 13, 2022

Pro-Kremlin Telegram channels in Russia outperforming channels critical of Kremlin

Top pro-Kremlin channels gain followers faster, reach more people, and have more subscribers than those critical of the Kremlin.

by Givi Gigitashvili

Eastern Europe Electorate