Digital Forensic Research Lab

US government seizure notice

Fri, Sep 6, 2024

Explainer: the Russian influence operations targeting the 2024 US elections

The September 2024 deplatforming of Operation Doppelganger demonstrates how US voters are being targeted by Russian influence operations

by Roman Osadchuk, Eto Buziashvili

Democracy Disinformation

Fri, Aug 30, 2024

Pro-Russia, pro-Wagner activity surges following Mali and Wagner forces’ defeat in battle

An inauthentic network of YouTube channels pushed pro-AES and anti-Ukraine narratives after the Tinzaouaten confrontation

by Valentin Châtelet

Africa Artificial Intelligence

Fri, Aug 30, 2024

TikTok accounts target West Africa with AI-generated content promoting Putin and regional leaders

TikTok accounts with thousands of followers spread pro-Russia and anti-France narratives

by Ali Chenrose

Africa Artificial Intelligence

Fri, Aug 23, 2024

How AI tools fueled online conspiracy theories after Trump assassination attempt

Deepfakes, cheapfakes, and AI-fueled scams spread online following the shooting; in other instances, real footage was dismissed as fake

by Beatriz Farrugia

Artificial Intelligence Elections

Mon, Aug 12, 2024

Russia uses video games in Africa to spread anti-Western propaganda

A Hearts of Iron IV mod exemplifies how video games can become propaganda tools

by Ali Chenrose

Africa France

Tue, Aug 6, 2024

Pro-Russian Facebook pages spread anti-French, anti-UN content in West Africa

Network of inauthentic pro-Russian pages spread false claims targeting elections, France, and the UN peacekeeping mission in CAR

by Valentin Châtelet

Advertising Africa

Tue, Jul 30, 2024

Inauthentic Chinese X accounts amplifying Trump shooting and Biden withdrawal conspiracy theories

Spreading false and misleading anti-US narratives, the network highly resembles operation known as Spamouflage Dragon

China Disinformation

Thu, Jul 18, 2024

How Russian propagandists spun the Trump assassination attempt

Conspiracy theories, alarmism, and early attempts to link the shooting with Ukraine

by Eto Buziashvili, Andy Carvin, Ruslan Trad, Emerson T. Brooking

Elections Elections
Illustration of the earth in the form of a computer chip, generated using Adobe Firefly

Wed, Jul 17, 2024

The sovereignty trap

How the promise of sovereign AI obscures its pitfalls

by Konstantinos Komaitis, Esteban Ponce de León, Kenton Thibaut, Trisha Ray, Kevin Klyman

Artificial Intelligence Digital Policy

Tue, Jul 16, 2024

Fake Cameroonian news sites spread pro-Russia, anti-France content

Fake Cameroonian outlets disseminated AI-generated voiceovers across Facebook and other social media platforms

by Valentin Châtelet

Cameroon Disinformation

Wed, Jul 10, 2024

Anti-Ukraine narratives spread following Kyiv children’s hospital attack

Narratives blamed Ukraine for the incident, accusing it of targeting itself or deploying air defense systems ineptly

by Ruslan Trad

Disinformation Ukraine

Tue, Jul 9, 2024

How Kenya’s tax bill protests spread online

After the bill's withdrawal, online conversations continued to call for President Ruto's resignation

by Ali Chenrose

Civil Society CrowdTangle