Disinformation: How organisations find and debunk fake news about the Ukraine invasion

The war in Ukraine is the subject of much online disinformation and propaganda but fact-checking organisations are tracking down how social media posts spread and debunking them Technology 14 March 2022 By Chris Stokel-Walker Firefighters try to extinguish a fire after a chemical warehouse was hit by Russian shelling near Kalynivka village in Ukraine on … Read more

Russia Is Having Less Success at Spreading Social Media Disinformation

Days after Russia invaded Ukraine, multiple social media platforms—including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube—announced they had dismantled coordinated networks of accounts spreading disinformation. These networks, which were comprised of fabricated accounts disguised with fake names and AI-generated profile images or hacked accounts, were sharing suspiciously similar anti-Ukraine talking points, suggesting they were being controlled by centralized … Read more

Ukraine invasion: Is Russia winning the disinformation war?

Russia has flooded social media with disinformation as part of its offensive on Ukraine, but unlike its previous campaigns to spread falsehoods, few people seem to be falling for it Technology | Analysis 25 February 2022 By Chris Stokel-Walker A fire in a building in Chuguiv, Ukraine, after Russian bombing on 24 February ARIS MESSINIS/AFP … Read more

The dark side of online space disinformation | Science

Theoretical cosmologist Katie Mack spends a lot of time on Twitter. Mack, at North Carolina State University, joined the platform to talk about science under the moniker “Astro Katie” more than a decade ago. Since then, her fun and informative posts about space have earned her nearly half a million followers. Unfortunately, she says, there … Read more

Russian Cyberattacks against the U.S. Could Focus on Disinformation

The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research. As tensions mount between Russia and the West over Ukraine, the threat of Russian cyberattacks against the U.S. increases. The Department of Homeland Security issued an intelligence bulletin on Jan. 23, 2022, warning that Russia has the capability to carry … Read more

Schoolkids Are Falling Victim to Disinformation and Conspiracy Fantasies

When Amanda Gardner, an educator with two decades of experience, helped to start a new charter elementary and middle school outside of Seattle last year, she did not anticipate teaching students who denied that the Holocaust happened, argued that COVID is a hoax and told their teacher that the 2020 presidential election was rigged. Yet … Read more