Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab)’s Post

Is The West Still Not Taking Misinformation Seriously? Tucker Carlson's car crash interview with Russia's autocratic dictator in February, which has been viewed over 120m times, shows how the west is blind to pro-Kremlin propaganda as Putin was eagerly provided a platform to promote a false depiction of Russia and Ukraine's history. As Ian Garner points out in his piece for Foreign Policy Magazine, Russia isn't just weaponising social media it's relying on the west to spread the message themselves. Another good point raised in the article is how the vociferous debate around free speech is stifling regulators to act in the face of ever-growing concerns around certain types of online discourse. On the flip-side however you have the UK government is updating its definition of extremism, which is now so broad it represents a catch-all for anyone the government deems disagreeable. 1984 much? My argument here is that legislators haven't got it right, instead of focusing on the platforms that encourage and perpetuate divisiveness they are instead penalising civil society by introducing harsher laws on free-speech. You wouldn't be remiss for thinking this was all part of a planned campaign by bad state actors to undermine democracy and further erode trust in government institutions. Platforms like Facebook, TikTok, Telegram, and X (Twitter) are the main vehicles to promote pro-Kremlin propaganda where ordinary users are subjected to a barrage of Russian talking points, often shared unknowingly, stoking societal division around domestic issues and garnering support for wider strategic objectives. So, what's the answer? Governments must act in concert to avert deepening societal division, provide education on the threats of mis/disinformation to schools, universities and wider public. And, provide tools to expose instances of mis/disinformation online. Author: Ian Garner Publication: Foreign Policy #misinformation #disinformation #mitifyplus #foreignpolicy https://lnkd.in/eR-M5wAS

Alto in the news 📢➡️ Our team's research into the digital public conversation in Ukraine was recently mentioned in the June 2024 edition of The Atlantic. Check out the full article to learn more about the geopolitical underpinnings of the tactics leveraged by state actors to influence debates in the digital media ecosystem, and how these types of Hybrid Threats produce risks with real-work impacts for Western democracies.

What a great article which addressed the most pressing issues the Chinese people are facing......🙏 👍 🙏 "If we are as serious about the China challenge as we profess, we must continue to stand up for the Chinese people who are courageously leading the way."

Heartfelt op-ed from Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Ben Cardin, departing senator from Maryland (my home state), on the need to continue to engage with the Chinese people, even as we wade further into strategic competition with the People’s Republic of China. A few key quotes: “On Nov. 11, in Zhuhai, China, a 62-year-old man drove his car into a crowd at a sports complex, killing 35 people and injuring 43 others. It was China's deadliest mass killing in more than a decade. While the tragedy barely made headlines in the West, many Chinese citizens may not have heard about it inside China, where it was swiftly and thoroughly swept under the rug by the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) vast censorship apparatus.” “While we continue to prioritize economic, military, and technological competition with China's government, it's also time to dedicate our efforts and resources to meaningful engagement with the people of China. From the Tiananmen Square protests to the resilience seen in the White Paper Movement, Chinese citizens have repeatedly shown remarkable resolve in the face of repression. This latest tragedy in Zhuhai underscores what's at stake—not only the rights of those to grieve and seek justice but also the very soul of China's future. Each silenced story, each deleted post, and each dismantled memorial is a stark reminder that, without the means to connect, learn, and question, the Chinese people are left isolated from the truth and the outside world.” #China #USChinaRelations https://lnkd.in/e_EQAFRZ

Intelligent article on the U.S. crackdown on Russian media. […] It’s also important to point out that Russia has articulated a clear vision of the emerging world order, which it conceives as multipolar and thus giving smaller- and medium-sized states – especially those in the Global South – a greater say over global affairs, ergo another reason for why their people support it. By contrast, the US pushed the so-called “rules-based order” as its preferred worldview, which was exposed as a hypocritical and self-interested ploy to retain Western dominance. All that RT did was draw attention to “inconvenient truths” about American foreign policy and amplified hitherto largely unknown truths about Russia’s in order to get around the Western-controlled global Mainstream Media’s information blockade. […] #rt #media #russia #censorship #globalsouth #msm

Not to say I told you so, but I’ve been posting about the dangers of ubiquitous disinformation and propaganda in traditional and social media for years now. I’ve repeatedly mentioned how it creates alternate realities that people then live in, completely disconnected from actual reality. I’ve warned that this can and does lead to some dangerous results that only serve the interests of those who weaponize free speech. I’ve pointed out that as bad as it is coming from hostile foreign governments like Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran, it’s even worse coming from domestic political parties, corporations, and special interest groups. I’ve received countless responses from some that absolute free speech rights without fact-checking, labeling, or content moderation, is more important than preventing the daily harm that this endless information warfare creates. I’ve asked numerous times: how far are we willing to let things progress, how much damage are we willing to tolerate, before we put common sense guardrails in place, including increasing the population’s digital literacy from an early age, to mitigate the worst effects. Now that we have another calamitous example of the results of this ceaseless bombardment on our society, will we do anything to ensure the next manipulated outcome isn’t even worse? We’re caught in a viscous cycle where the lies and the sources they come from are so ingrained and trusted, that it’s likely that no catastrophic result will compel change. Often people just laugh at the victims of psychological manipulation, rather than realize the danger it creates for everyone and encourage taking steps to curtail it, and now the whole world will suffer the consequences. #disinformation #propaganda #informationwarfare #media #socialmedia #elections

Until recently, the main thrust of PRC-sponsored messaging aimed at Americans through social media was to cultivate a positive image of #China and its current government and to promote Beijing’s point of view on China-related controversies such as #Taiwan’s political relationship with China, Chinese treatment of #Uighurs and #Tibetans, and the restriction of civil liberties in #HongKong. The content of #socialmedia posts was similar to what Chinese diplomats based in the US were saying when they gave public speeches and TV interviews or wrote editorials for newspapers. This contrasted with the messaging promoted by the Russian government, which generally disparaged the US government and amplified highly divisive US domestic social and political issues, suggesting the Russian goal was to foment political instability in America. #GreyZone

Oh, the sweet irony of Washington’s benevolent "let’s fix the world with propaganda" strategy. It’s heartwarming, really. You know, because when Russia allegedly meddles in U.S. elections, it’s a global threat to democracy, but when the U.S. drops $1.6 billion to fund covert media ops against China, well, that’s just good ol' democracy defense. Apparently, hypocrisy comes with a hefty price tag—and no refunds. Let’s dive into the highlights: The U.S. government is sprinkling a cool billion-plus around the globe to "counter China’s malign influence," aka, any time China dares to build a road or a hospital. Because who needs infrastructure when you can have a nice, shiny social media campaign telling everyone how evil China is? And the cherry on top? They don’t even have to tell anyone it’s U.S.-funded. Covert much? Russia, take notes. Of course, we’re not supposed to ask what happens when this propaganda backfires, making actual grassroots movements look like sock puppets of Uncle Sam. Because, hey, history hasn’t shown us any examples of that, right? Except, oh wait, Putin did exactly that in Russia. So, buckle up for the next round of “accidentally giving authoritarian regimes more fuel to clamp down on dissent.” But that’s just a minor detail. And the best part? All this cloak-and-dagger manipulation could end up boomeranging right back into American media, influencing domestic debates. Because in the age of the internet, why keep your meddling overseas when you can accidentally brainwash your own citizens? Bravo, HR 1157—really pushing the envelope on shooting yourself in the foot. So, if you’ve ever wondered what happens when Washington decides it’s time to fight fire with a $1.6 billion flamethrower, congratulations. You’re about to witness it. Just try not to choke on the hypocrisy. https://lnkd.in/ewyP6sFm

Beijing's Web of Influence: How China's Info-Wars Are Shaping Your Reality Our analysis of the U.S. report accusing China of constructing a multi-billion-dollar global info ecosystem to spread propaganda, facilitate censorship and spread disinformation. https://ow.ly/qAtU50S0Z69

Japan’s accidental resilience in the disinformation age The county’s insular media culture and a widespread aversion to online political speech have inadvertently acted as a kind of insulation, keeping the full heat of the disinformation firestorm at bay. According to a study by Mizuho Research and Technologies, Japanese people are exposed to less online disinformation than people in other countries and are more confident in their ability to spot lies and distortions when they come across them. Language is often seen as an information buffer. Japan is the only country where Japanese is widely understood and spoken, a fact that raises the hurdle for foreign propagandists. It’s easier to fool people when you can create convincing lies in their native language. That’s an easier task in, say, English or Chinese, which are spoken by a vast number of people around the world. Japanese people are more likely to disbelieve information they find online and they display lower levels of political engagement — both online and in the real world — than people in other countries. Most disinformation is local. Although organized global propaganda campaigns by authoritarian regimes are a real threat to the democratic world, it is domestic actors — from politicians to social media grifters — who are primarily responsible for spreading falsehoods. Such people exist in Japan, of course, but both their influence and that of foreign actors has so far been relatively limited. Japan remains a relative bastion of strength for mainstream media. Although trust in major newspapers and television networks has declined in recent years, the drop has been significantly milder than in other parts of the world. Japan ranks at or near the top for both the amount of news that people receive from mainstream sources and the likelihood that people will have confidence in those sources. Japanese use the internet for personal communication, shopping, gaming — just about anything except trumpeting their political views Japanese are retreating ever further from politics of all kinds. They feel they can’t change the system, so they focus their energies instead on their personal lives, be it career, family or leisure. People often say they are fed up with politics, but the result has been disengagement rather than angry, anti-establishment populism. The bottom line is that Japan has fared relatively well in the age of disinformation, but its accidental resilience should not be taken for granted. "Narrative warfare" is intensifying worldwide and it has real-world consequences — for democracy, security and prosperity. The stakes are too high for complacency. #news #disinformation #japan #asia #journalism