Digital Forensic Research Lab

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin leaves the headquarters of the Southern Military District amid the group's pullout from the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, June 24, 2023. (Source: Reuters/Alexander Ermochenko)

Thu, Aug 17, 2023

How Russian pro-war Telegram channels addressed the Wagner mutiny

Wagner-affiliated Telegram channels saw tremendous growth as some pro-war channels vacillated on which side to support

by Givi Gigitashvili, , Roman Osadchuk

Propaganda Russia
A still image from a bodycam footage, released by Russia's Defence Ministry, shows what it said to be crew members kneeling down in a cockpit during an operation held by Russian navy officers to board the Palau-flagged Sukru Okan vessel with the help of a Ka-29 military helicopter in the Black Sea on August 13, 2023, in this image taken from video published August 15, 2023. Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. MANDATORY CREDIT. WATERMARK FROM SOURCE.

Thu, Aug 17, 2023

Russian War Report: Tensions escalate in the Black Sea as the Russian navy forcefully inspects a civilian cargo ship

Russia escalated tensions beyond Ukraine again this week when its navy forcibly inspected and fired warning shots at a civilian cargo ship.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Telephone with messaging apps. “Protecting point-to-point messaging apps: Understanding Telegram, WeChat, and WhatsApp in the United States” cover image.

Mon, Aug 14, 2023

Protecting point-to-point messaging apps: Understanding Telegram, WeChat, and WhatsApp in the United States

A year-long project on protecting users' data and privacy that analyzes the growing use of point-to-point messaging platforms in the United States and the implications their design and governing policies have for user privacy and free speech.

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

Tue, Aug 8, 2023

A US agenda for action in Sudan’s information environment

A brief on how the United States and Sudan can collaborate on combatting disinformation and building up the African nation's democratic potential.

by Cameron Hudson

Democracy Derailed report cover art

Tue, Aug 8, 2023

Sudan’s precarious information environment and the fight for democracy

An examination of the time from December 2018, when protests against then-president Omar al-Bashir first broke out, and December 2022, when a framework agreement between civilian and military leaders came into play.

by Tessa Knight, Lujain Alsedeg

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
Members of security services investigate a damaged office building in the Moscow City following a reported Ukrainian drone attack in Moscow Russia, August 1, 2023. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina

Thu, Aug 3, 2023

Russian War Report: Drones target central Moscow skyscrapers

Drone strikes hit central Moscow this week killing none but damaging a skyscraper. Meanwhile, TGStat has restricted access to a Telegram channel that tracks Russian casualties.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

A World Map Of China 3D Rendering - Chinese Discourse Power Cover graphic

Wed, Aug 2, 2023

Chinese discourse power: Capabilities and impact

An examination of China's online and offline channels for the dissemination of "discourse power" and the mechanisms of oversight on which such communications rely.

by Kenton Thibaut

Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, deputy head of the military council and head of paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), greets his supporters as he arrives at a meeting in Aprag village, 60 kilometers away from Khartoum, Sudan, June 22, 2019. (Source: REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo)

Wed, Aug 2, 2023

Suspicious network’s copypasta replies to Sudanese paramilitary group’s tweets

Network of potentially hijacked Twitter accounts copy and pasted positive replies to accounts associated with Rapid Support Forces

by Tessa Knight

Conflict Democratic Transitions
Photo of the late Orthodox priest, Iona Ignatenko, whose image was used in a Facebook scheme to get people to subscribe to dubious Telegram channels.

Tue, Aug 1, 2023

Clickbait Facebook pages trick Ukrainians into following dubious Telegram channels

Pages employ bait-and-switch tactics and cascading subscription requests to lure people to join more channels

by Roman Osadchuk

Facebook Telegram
FILE PHOTO: France's President Emmanuel Macron addresses mayors of cities affected by the violent clashes that erupted after a teen was shot dead by police last week, during a meeting at the presidential Elysee Palace in Paris, France on July 4, 2023. LUDOVIC MARIN/Pool via REUTERS//File Photo

Fri, Jul 28, 2023

The most profound social media ban that never happened

France’s recent flirtation with social media crackdowns undermines Europe’s moral high ground regarding internet governance

by Konstantinos Komaitis

Digital Policy European Union