Twitter

Tue, Jan 4, 2022

Experts react to the year since January 6

Domestic extremism experts weigh in on the year since the January 6 attack and their perspectives on continuing threats to US democracy.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Wed, Dec 22, 2021

China’s COVID-19 messaging makes its way to South Africa

China leverages its investment in the South African media space to push Beijing-approved narratives and conspiracies.

by Kenton Thibaut

Africa China
The newly unveiled statue in Bangui, Central African Republic, features two Russian mercenaries up front with CAR soldiers behind them to the left and right.

Mon, Dec 20, 2021

First Russian mercenary statue in Africa identified in the Central African Republic

Newly surfaced photos confirm a new statue commemorating Russian mercenaries in the heart of Bangui, CAR’s capital city.

by Lukas Andriukaitis

Africa Central Africa
Vigilantes armed with clubs stand guard at a neighborhood in Bole following the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s call for citizens to protect their areas from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), November 19, 2021.

Fri, Dec 17, 2021

Influential Ethiopian social media accounts stoke violence along ethnic lines

Proliferation of hate speech on social media has the capacity to cause real-world harm amidst an increasingly violent civil war.

by Tessa Knight

Conflict East Africa
DFRLab Democracy + Tech Initiative Director Rose Jackson testifies before the US Senate, December 9, 2021.

Thu, Dec 9, 2021

Written testimony of DFRLab’s Rose Jackson at Senate hearing on disrupting dangerous algorithms

Delivered before the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Business Digital Policy
Presidential candidate José Antonio Kast speaks at a campaign event on November 2, 2021.

Tue, Dec 7, 2021

How the Chilean elections unfolded on Twitter

“Far-right” and “far-left” were among the most used terms, with pro-Kast hashtags prevailing.

by Luiza Bandeira, Esteban Ponce de León

Chile Elections

Mon, Nov 15, 2021

Suspicious Twitter accounts amplified hashtags ahead of Polish nationalist march

Accounts promoting a nationalist march in Poland exhibited multiple indicators raising questions of their authenticity.

by Givi Gigitashvili

Eastern Europe Government
(Source: REUTERS/Maynor Valenzuela)

Fri, Nov 5, 2021

Multi-platform troll farm linked to Nicaraguan government

Inauthentic network targeted domestic audiences in the lead-up to Nicaragua’s November 2021 general election

by Daniel Suárez Pérez, Esteban Ponce de León, Luiza Bandeira

CrowdTangle Electorate
A Palestinian stands on a house that was destroyed in an Israeli air strike during the fighting between Israel and Hamas in May 2021, in the northern Gaza Strip on June 29, 2021. (Source: REUTERS/Mohammed Salem)

Thu, Jul 1, 2021

Iranian accounts promote anti-Israel hashtags in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war

The campaign, promoted on Telegram, is linked to an Iranian conspiracy theorist previously suspended from Twitter.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

COVID-19 Iran
Protesters marching against the conflict in Tigray hold placards with the hashtag #TigrayGenocide in New York City on March 25, 2021. (Source: Reuters/John Lamparski/SIPA USA)

Fri, Apr 23, 2021

Ethiopian diaspora groups organize click-to-tweet Tigray campaigns amid information scarcity

Social media campaigns promoted pro-government and anti-conflict narratives to capture attention from an international audience.

by Tessa Knight

Africa Conflict
Banner: Supporters of Uganda’s ruling National Resistance Movement party drive around Kampala on boda bodas (motorcycles) following the announcement that Yoweri Museveni has won the sixth term as president. Uganda’s elections, on January 14, 2021, were the most tense in decades. (Photo by Sally Hayden / SOPA Images/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect)

Wed, Feb 10, 2021

Facebook removes inauthentic assets linked to Ugandan government

Facebook removed content engaging in coordinated inauthentic behavior six days before Uganda’s presidential election.

by Tessa Knight

Africa Brigading
In this photo from the 2016 Ugandan presidential election, Uganda’s President and the presidential candidate Yoweri Museveni of the ruling party National Resistance Movement (NRM) waves to his supporters as he arrives at a campaign rally in Entebbe, Uganda, February 10, 2016. (Source: REUTERS/James Akena TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

Mon, Jan 11, 2021

Social media disinformation campaign targets Ugandan presidential election

Facebook takes down pro-government network after investigation inspired by DFRLab research; Twitter also removes suspicious accounts.

by Tessa Knight

Africa Business