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.
Russia Didn’t Know How to Frame the Discord Leaks
Overview On April 13, the FBI arrested Jack Teixeira for his alleged involvement in leaking hundreds of classified documents. Teixeira, a member of the Air National Guard, reportedly shared the US intelligence assessments with his friends over the c [...]
Joseph Bodnar Discusses the Discord Leaks on Background Briefing
Background Briefing with Ian Masters · Navy Vet Behind Pro-Putin Site that Doctored and Spread Documents Stolen by a National Guard Airman We look into the role of a recent member of the US Navy, Sarah Bils, who runs a pro-Putin social media site D [...]
ASD Research Covered Exclusively in New York Times: Chinese Officials Flock to Twitter to Defend TikTok
The company has tried to distance itself, but the information push shows just how deeply invested Beijing is in its fate. In an information campaign primarily run on Twitter, Chinese officials and state media organizations widely mocked the United [...]
Chinese State Propaganda Goes to Bat for TikTok
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew appeared on Capitol Hill on Thursday 23 March to testify in front of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, where lawmakers peppered him with questions about TikTok’s Chinese ownership, effects on youth, and practices aroun [...]
AP Exclusive on ASD Research: TikTok Propaganda Labels Fall Flat in ‘Huge Win’ for Russia
A year ago, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, TikTok started labeling accounts operated by Russian state propaganda agencies as a way to tell users they were being exposed to Kremlin disinformation. An analysis a year later shows the policy ha [...]
TikTok’s Russia Challenge: Kremlin-Funded Media Reaches Millions on the App
Overview TikTok has been central to the world’s understanding of Russia’s war in Ukraine. It was particularly valuable in the conflict’s early days when people were desperate for news and able to find real-time updates about military maneuvers and o [...]
ASD at GMF Launches Information Integrity Map
At this week’s Summit for Democracy, governments are expected to address how important countering disinformation and securing access to independent media are to democracy’s survival. Efforts to build and strengthen information resilience are taking [...]
China’s Propaganda Looks to Japan’s G7 Presidency
At the beginning of 2023, Japan assumed the presidency of the Group of Seven (G7) from Germany. This puts Tokyo, already a prime target of Chinese information manipulation, at the helm of a body that has drawn significant and sustained criticism fro [...]
Turn East at the Crossroads: Analyzing Russian Rhetoric on Turkey-NATO Relations Following the Quran Burning in Sweden
NATO’s role in countering Russian aggression during the war in Ukraine has made the alliance a repeated target of Kremlin-linked propaganda campaigns. Central to this effort is an attempt by Russian state-affiliated media and diplomats to exploit or [...]
RT en Español Won’t Stay Off YouTube
Overview YouTube was essential to RT’s early success, helping the Russian propaganda network expand its audience across the globe. YouTube’s decision to ban Russian state media channels after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine thus marked a sig [...]
A Year of Disinformation: Russia and China’s Influence Campaigns During the War in Ukraine
Introduction Prior to the war in Ukraine, Russia was perceived to be an unrivaled power in the information domain, and its ability to conduct sophisticated information operations was considered a distinct strategic advantage in the event of a war. B [...]
Hamilton Toplines: Jan 11–17, 2023
Hamilton 2.0 is an interactive tool that monitors the outputs of Chinese and Russian state media and government officials across a range of social media platforms. The weekly report provides a summary analysis of the most salient topics and narrative [...]