Africa
Tue, Feb 8, 2022
Tracing the myth that COVID-19 vaccines alter human DNA
Incorrect claims falsely attributed to public health experts were later amplified by anti-vax doctors and activists
by Nika Aleksejeva, Lukas Andriukaitis, Jean le Roux, Roman Osadchuk, Ayushman Kaul, Daniel Suárez Pérez
Thu, Jan 13, 2022
Twitter’s Ethiopian interventions may not have worked
Twitter’s decision to deactivate trending topics in Ethiopia did not reduce the volume or toxicity of tweets about the civil war.
by Tessa Knight
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.
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.
Mon, Dec 20, 2021
2021: DFRLab’s year in review
The DFRLab's 2021 year in review: disinformation campaigns, troll farms, troop buildups, vaccine rumors, a failed insurrection, and more.
by Andy Carvin
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
Thu, Oct 28, 2021
Sudanese Facebook network promoting paramilitary group removed month before coup
Inauthentic FB assets linked to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces operated for years; some admins based in Saudi Arabia and the UAE
by Tessa Knight
Wed, Oct 27, 2021
Geolocated footage capture chaotic scenes following Sudan military coup
Sudanese citizens protest military coup and dissolution of transitional government following arrest of civilian leadership
Thu, Jun 3, 2021
Inauthentic Facebook assets promoted Russian interests in Sudan
Network with links to Russia’s Internet Research Agency promoted oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin and Russian naval presence in Sudan
by Tessa Knight
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
Mon, Feb 22, 2021
Prominent Ugandan news websites implicated in government-aligned social media campaign
Websites implicated in Facebook takedown that involved government employees engaging in coordinated inauthentic behavior.
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
