Middle East

Tarek el-Nabarawy poses with supporters ahead of the Egyptian Engineers Syndicate vote, May 30, 2023.

Thu, Oct 19, 2023

Pro-government Twitter accounts targeted head of Egyptian Engineers Syndicate

Suspicious accounts used duplicated content to attack syndicate head Tarek el-Nabarawy

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Civil Society Egypt
Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets launched from the Gaza Strip, as seen from the city of Ashkelon, Israel October 9, 2023. (Source: Reuters/Amir Cohen/File Photo)

Wed, Oct 18, 2023

Network of South Asian Twitter accounts spreading Israel-Palestine war disinfo

Accounts exhibiting signs of coordination amplify divisive copypasta targeting both sides of the conflict

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Deceptive Content Manipulation Disinformation
Hamas's al-Qassam Brigades train with paragliders as they prepare for an armed air assault, in this screengrab obtained from a social media video released on October 7, 2023. (Source: Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades via Telegram/Reuters)

Thu, Oct 12, 2023

In Israel-Hamas conflict, social media become tools of propaganda and disinformation

An endless flood of false, misleading, and unverified information risks inflaming the conflict.

by Dina Sadek, Layla Mashkoor

Conflict Disinformation

Wed, Oct 4, 2023

Suspicious Twitter accounts promote Saudi Arabia, call for reinstating Saud Al-Qahtani

Network amplified content calling for Twitter to reinstate Saud Al-Qahtani, accused of orchestrating Jamal Khashoggi’s killing in 2018

by Dina Sadek

Digital Policy Disinformation
President of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, President of China Xi Jinping, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov pose for a BRICS family photo during the 2023 BRICS Summit at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, on August 23, 2023. (Source: Gianluigi Guercia/Pool via Reuters/File Photo)

Wed, Sep 6, 2023

Pro-Russian BRICS narratives in Latin America prospered during summit lead-up

In the six months ahead of the BRICS summit, narratives about a new multipolar world and the fall of US hegemony trended in Spanish-speaking Latin America information space

by Iria Puyosa

Argentina Brazil

Wed, Jul 5, 2023

Saudi Arabia’s execution of two Bahrainis sparks competing hashtags on Twitter

Arabic hashtag condemning the execution significantly more popular than hashtag supporting the execution

by Dina Sadek

Government Human Rights

Wed, Jun 28, 2023

Yevgeny Prigozhin: A history of violence and propaganda around the world

Yevgeny Prigozhin captured global attention with his mutiny in Russia; the DFRLab has tracked his efforts around the world for over half a decade.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Africa Botnets
BANNER: A presidential runoff ballot at a polling station in Istanbul featuring incumbent president Recep Tayyip Erdogan and main opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu, May 28, 2023. (Source: Reuters Connect/Diego Cupolo/NurPhoto)

Wed, May 31, 2023

Pro-government Twitter accounts push hashtag promoting Egypt’s support for human rights

Twitter accounts identified as part of a network promoting pro-government content initiated a hashtag in support of government actions

by Dina Sadek

Disinformation Economic Issue
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry shake hands during a news conference following their talks in Moscow, Russia, January 31, 2023. (Source: Maxim Shipenkov/Pool via REUTERS)

Fri, May 19, 2023

Reports of alleged weapons deal between Egypt and Russia heighten conspiracy theories on Arabic social media

Leaked US intelligence document alleging secret weapons deal between Egypt and Russia sparks conspiracy theories about America’s interests in Egypt

by Dina Sadek

Africa Egypt
People hold Jordanian national flags as they take part in a protest during a teachers' strike in Amman, Jordan, October 3, 2019.

Thu, May 4, 2023

Jordan’s digital crackdowns target media and human rights activists

Jordanian authorities monitor and harass journalists and activists to control the information environment

by Dina Sadek

Civil Society Human Rights
Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei addresses the Ahlul Bayt World Assembly in Tehran, September 2022.

Thu, Apr 27, 2023

Iran-linked website targets Georgia’s ethnic Azerbaijani community with anti-West content

Iran-based website aimed at ethnic Azerbaijanis in Georgia publishes narratives supporting Russia and Hezbollah

by Sopo Gelava

Azerbaijan Caucasus
Twitter CEO Elon Musk. (Source: Reuters/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo)

Fri, Apr 21, 2023

State-controlled media experience sudden Twitter gains after unannounced platform policy change

Twitter accounts run by Russia’s RT, China’s CGTN and Iran’s PressTV suddenly began to gain followers; Twitter acknowledged a change in policy regarding state media accounts three weeks later

by Alyssa Kann

Business China