Authoritarian regimes and their proxies use social media, other online information platforms, and traditional media to attempt to shape global and domestic narratives; to sow chaos and confusion in democracies; and to undermine democratic processes. Find ASD’s work on the many ways malign actors manipulate information to interfere in democracies, including by spreading disinformation, on this page.
Hamilton Toplines: Sept 21–27, 2022
Russia Monitored Russian accounts last week tweeted 19,668 times, generating 224,448 retweets and 687,480 likes. On Tuesday, Kremlin-orchestrated referendums in occupied areas of Ukraine laid a pretext for Russia to announce the annexation of larg [...]
Monitoring the Midterms: Wisconsin
In a recent poll, “threats to democracy” was the top concern among voters, beating out “cost of living” for the number one spot. Early data from our Midterm Monitor indicated some agreement across party lines that democracy is under threat, though t [...]
What You Can Do to Protect against Mis- and Disinformation: 5 Quick Tips
Americans must act to protect themselves—and their communities—from mis- and disinformation. The Alliance for Securing Democracy at the German Marshall Fund of the United States has five quick tips to help you avoid consuming and sharing false news: [...]
A Look Into Russian Propaganda on Referendums in Ukraine
Overview On Tuesday, Kremlin-staged referendums in occupied areas of Ukraine laid the groundwork for Russia to announce the annexation of roughly 15 percent of Ukraine’s territory. A large-scale propaganda push accompanied these widely discredited [...]
Hamilton Monthly Report: August 2022
This report highlights and analyzes key trends and takeaways from data collected by the Hamilton 2.0 dashboard during the previous month. Unlike ASD’s weekly Hamilton reports, which analyze the main topics and themes promoted by monitored Russian an [...]
Hamilton Toplines: September 14-20, 2022
Russia Toplines Monitored Russian accounts last week tweeted 17,668 times, generating 172,959 retweets and 528,354 likes. Russian propagandists shared the directives, threats, and falsehoods pushed by President Vladimir Putin and Defense Minister [...]
Hamilton Toplines: September 5–13, 2022
Russia Toplines Monitored Russian accounts over the past nine days tweeted 23,348 times, generating 259,630 retweets and 848,122 likes. As the Ukrainian military recaptured large amounts of territory in the country’s northeast and south, Kremlin-lin [...]
Bret Schafer in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Extreme Partisanship Threatens Our Democracy, and the Problem is Us. We Also are the Solution
In response to a recent poll showing that roughly 40% of Americans believe a civil war is at least somewhat likely in the next 10 years—a figure that jumps to more than half among those who identify as “strong Republicans”—one Chinese diplomat tweet [...]
Ukraine’s Successful Counteroffensive Around Izium: What News Is Yandex Showing?
Over the past few days, the Ukrainian military launched a successful counteroffensive to regain control of the city of Izium and other territory in the northwestern Kharkiv region from Russian occupying forces. The Alliance for Securing Democracy ra [...]
Hamilton Toplines: August 29-September 4, 2022
Russia Monitored Russian state media and diplomatic accounts last week posted 16,757 tweets, generating 159,855 retweets and 489,526 likes. Russia-linked accounts last week carried the Kremlin’s statement that it would not fully resume gas supplies [...]
Laura Thornton on Information Wars at the Tbilisi International Conference 2022
Panelists Jamie Fly, President, RFE/RL Shota Gvernia, Non-Resident Fellow, EPRC Laura Thornton, Director and Senior Fellow, Alliance for Securing Democracy Brian Whitmore, Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council Stefan Meister, Head of Program, [...]
Moldova in the Crosshairs: The Top 4 Russian Narratives
In July, Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilița said she feared that Russia could target Moldova next as it continues to wage its devastating war in Ukraine. From her statement, it seems likely that Moldova could become an increasingly significan [...]