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.
Interference Matters
Inflaming Divides: Russian Narratives on the California Wildfires
ASD Data Highlighted in the New York Times: U.S. Fights Bioweapons Disinformation Pushed by Russia and China
The Chinese government’s promotion of Russian disinformation in the middle of the war has ignited concern among Western officials because of China’s powerful diplomatic standing and extensive cyberabilities. Analysts who study disinformation from th [...]
How to Win the Disinformation War in Ukraine?
The disinformation war in Ukraine has now moved well past the initial stage and continues apace. Yet, Ukraine seems to be beating Russia at its own game on the information battlefield as officials in Kyiv are treating it as a real front line. So far [...]
Hamilton Toplines: February 28–March 6, 2022
Russia Kremlin-linked messengers last week pushed a series of false claims about Ukraine’s pursuit of biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons. On Sunday, Russia’s Defense Ministry said it had documents that show Kyiv ordered the “emergency destruc [...]
Russian State Media Ban: Making a Necessary Ban Sustainable
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has shocked the European Union and its member states into decisive action. With Germany upending decades of foreign policy choices and unprecedented economic sanctions imposed on key parts of the Russian economy and l [...]
Kristine Berzina in Dallas Morning News: How Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine Strengthened Democracy around the World
Russia’s war on Ukraine has built an unprecedented level of unity and geopolitical decisiveness across the Atlantic and among democracies around the world. This is the precise opposite of what Russia had intended. Russia has worked to sow discord wi [...]
Hamilton Toplines: February 21–27, 2022
Russia Russian state media celebrated Putin’s recognition on Monday of the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic, sharing images of fireworks and people waving Russian flags in the regions. Russian President Vladimir Putin just [...]
Bret Schafer Discusses Russia’s Disinformation During Its Invasion of Ukraine on KPCC
Russian forces bombarded the central square in Ukraine’s second-largest city and other civilian sites Tuesday in what the country’s president condemned as a blatant campaign of terror by Moscow. In Kyiv, the TV tower in the capital was hit, accordin [...]
Clint Watts Discusses Russia’s Four Target Audiences for Disinformation with Tech Policy Press
Clint Watts, a former FBI special agent, a Distinguished Research Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, a Non-Resident Fellow at the Alliance for Securing Democracy, and the author of Messing With The Enemy: Surviving in a Social Media W [...]
Laura Thornton and Hanna Hopko in The Hill: Ukraine’s Real-Life Challenge for Democracy
One hundred countries joined President Biden’s Summit for Democracy in December to affirm global commitment to democracy during a period of decline and rising authoritarianism. Lofty pledges were made, and the White House announced 2022 as a “year o [...]
Russian Messaging the Week Before War on Ukraine
Russian disinformation on the Kremlin-instigated crisis in Ukraine reached a new level of intensity between February 14 and February 20, 2022. Months of Russian warnings about a Ukrainian provocation developed into baseless accusations that Ukrainia [...]
Hamilton Toplines: February 14–February 20, 2022
Russia Russian disinformation on the Kremlin-instigated crisis in Ukraine reached a new level of intensity last week. Months of Russian warnings about a Ukrainian provocation developed into baseless accusations that Ukrainian forces had launched an [...]
Top 5 Takeaways from the French Election Dashboard
As France gears up for a presidential election in April, several foreign officials and state-sponsored media are promoting narratives in France’s public debate that are conducive to their foreign interests, sometimes to the detriment of French democ [...]