Social Media

Screenshot of a Facebook ad displaying Ilan Shor's allegations that "the collective West aims to seize Moldova" and "the West means war and fear."

Mon, Jul 8, 2024

Inauthentic Facebook ad campaign spreads anti-EU messages

Facebook pages disguised as neutral news sources sponsored ads to promote anti-EU narratives ahead of Moldova's referendum on EU integration

by Victoria Olari

Advertising Deceptive Content Manipulation

Mon, Jul 8, 2024

Spambots continue to suppress speech and enable harassment of the Chinese community on X

Networks of Chinese-language spambots risk the censoring of posts during politically sensitive events, repeating past oversights

Botnets China
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a signing ceremony at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia March 21, 2023. (Source: Sputnik/Vladimir Astapkovich/Kremlin via Reuters)

Wed, Jun 12, 2024

In Sub-Saharan Africa, China embraces Russian messaging against Ukraine

Russian narratives thrive in Sub-Saharan Africa with the help of Chinese media networks, localization expertise, and infrastructure

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Africa Cameroon
Words of Iron promo screenshots

Tue, Jun 11, 2024

Online tool helps social media accounts amplify pro-Israel messages

“Words of Iron” represents a shift in the evolving approach to digital propaganda during times of war

Instagram Israel
screenshot of Facebook ad featuring Elon Musk, whose voice has been altered to promote a scam.

Thu, Jun 6, 2024

Spanish-language ads amplify scams using audio deepfakes of public figures

Scammers fabricated interviews with politicians and tech moguls to present supposed investments as legitimate government-backed programs

by Daniel Suárez Pérez

Deceptive Content Manipulation Disinformation

Mon, Jun 3, 2024

Doppelganger targets US audience on X to discredit Georgian protests

The latest iteration of the Russia-attributed campaign discredits pro-democracy protests in Georgia

by Eto Buziashvili

Disinformation Georgia

Mon, Jun 3, 2024

Tailored Russian disinformation targets Polish farmer protests

Kremlin-backed actors attempt to sow division between Poland and Ukraine

by Givi Gigitashvili

Conflict CrowdTangle
Taiwan, New Taipei City, 2024/01/13. Poll officers show a box containing ballots after polls close at a polling station at an elementary school. (Source: Valeria Mongelli/Hans Lucas via Reuters)

Mon, May 6, 2024

Targeting Taiwan: China’s influence efforts on the island

Chinese state media experimented on how to better reach Taiwanese audiences online around the January 2024 election

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Advertising China
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 29, 2024

Analyzing Egyptian and Qatari media coverage of Menendez bribery allegations

Selective coverage from Egyptian and Qatari media avoids mention of links to Menendez bribery allegations.

by Dina Sadek

Corruption Egypt

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
A woman holds a phone with a portrait of Soviet leader Josef Stalin on case, during an event marking the 70th anniversary of Stalin's death, in his hometown of Gori, Georgia March 5, 2023. (Source: REUTERS/Irakli Gedenidze)

Thu, Mar 14, 2024

Stalin lionized on Georgian TikTok

TikTok videos promote myths about late Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, portraying him as a religious, well-educated strongman

by Sopo Gelava

Georgia Politics & Diplomacy