Disinformation Archives

Hospital bombing was latest act in Russia’s war on Ukrainian healthcare

UkraineAlert Mar 19, 2024

Vladimir Putin’s history obsession is a threat to world peace

By Nicholas Chkhaidze

Putin has weaponized history to justify the genocidal invasion of Ukraine. Unless he is defeated, the Russian dictator will use the same bogus historical arguments to launch new imperial adventures, writes Nicholas Chkhaidze.

Conflict Disinformation

Report Feb 29, 2024

Undermining Ukraine: How Russia widened its global information war in 2023

By the Digital Forensic Research Lab

On the battlefield, Russia has made strategic gains. In the information sphere, it has the resources and will to outlast the West.

Disinformation Eastern Europe

The Big Story Dec 21, 2023

Distortion by design: How social media platforms shaped our initial understanding of the Israel-Hamas conflict

By Emerson T. Brooking, Layla Mashkoor, Jacqueline Malaret

Almost as soon as the Israel-Hamas war began, it collided with the engineering and policy decisions of social media companies. On Telegram, terrorist content spread mostly uncontested; on X, false claims proliferated. Accusations of anti-Palestinian bias at Meta and pro-Palestinian bias at TikTok added to the confusion. Can the platforms thread this needle?

Conflict Disinformation

Programs

The Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab) has operationalized the study of disinformation by exposing falsehoods and fake news, documenting human rights abuses, and building digital resilience worldwide.

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Content

UkraineAlert

Jul 11, 2024

Hospital bombing was latest act in Russia’s war on Ukrainian healthcare

By Olha Fokaf

The bombing of Ukraine's largest children's hospital on July 8 was the latest in a series of similar attacks as Russia deliberately targets Ukrainian healthcare infrastructure, writes Olha Fokaf.

Conflict Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Jul 11, 2024

Ukraine’s prayer breakfast challenges Kremlin claims of religious persecution

By Steven Moore

Ukraine's recent National Prayer Breakfast highlighted the country's commitment to religious freedom and challenged Kremlin accusations of religious persecution in the country, writes Steven Moore.

Civil Society Conflict

UkraineAlert

Jul 2, 2024

Putin is using Belarus to escalate his nuclear threats

By Peter Dickinson

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is increasingly using Belarus to escalate his nuclear intimidation tactics against the West, writes Peter Dickinson.

Belarus Conflict

UkraineAlert

Jun 20, 2024

Putin just reminded the world why Russia must lose

By Peter Dickinson

Vladimir Putin's bogus recent peace proposal was in reality a call for Ukraine's surrender that underlines his continued commitment to the destruction of the Ukrainian state, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Defense Policy

Global China

Jun 20, 2024

Global China Newsletter – Sharp words, sharper tools: Beijing hones its approach to the Global South

By Dexter Tiff Roberts

The fifth 2024 edition of the Global China Newsletter

Africa China

UkraineAlert

Jun 18, 2024

Holding Putin’s propagandists accountable for crimes in Ukraine

By Kristina Hook, Anna Vyshniakova

Calls are mounting to hold Putin's propagandists accountable for their role in inciting Russian atrocities committed during the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, write Kristina Hook and Anna Vyshniakova.

Conflict Disinformation

Report

Jun 12, 2024

Intentionally vague: How Saudi Arabia and Egypt abuse legal systems to suppress online speech

By Dina Sadek, Layla Mashkoor, Iain Robertson, Andy Carvin

Egypt and Saudi Arabia are weaponizing vaguely written domestic media, cybercrime, and counterterrorism laws to target and suppress dissent, opposition, and vulnerable groups.

Digital Policy Disinformation

In the News

Jun 11, 2024

Plitsas quoted in Defense One on US influence operations

By Atlantic Council

Disinformation Technology & Innovation

UkraineAlert

Jun 6, 2024

Allies stand with Ukraine as Russian threat looms over D-Day anniversary

By Peter Dickinson

Putin has tried to justify his invasion of Ukraine by portraying Ukrainians as Nazis. But as this week's D-Day anniversary made clear, it is Putin himself who is seen as the greatest single threat to peace in Europe since Adolf Hitler, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Jun 4, 2024

Vladimir Putin just tacitly admitted Crimea is not really part of Russia

By Peter Dickinson

Russia claims to have annexed five Ukrainian provinces but refuses to extend security red lines to these regions. This highlights the pragmatic political realities behind Putin's talk of historic conquests, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Disinformation