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.
Nad’a Kovalčíková Speaks to Euractiv about How Visegrad Countries Can Combat Coronavirus Disinformation
Russia and China, as well as Iran to a certain extent, have used the coronavirus pandemic as an opportunity to interfere into democratic discourse and to present themselves as internationally responsible actors, while at the same time undermining de [...]
Influence-enza: How Russia, China, and Iran Have Shaped and Manipulated Coronavirus Vaccine Narratives
Introduction When Vladimir Putin announced last August that Russia had granted regulatory approval for Sputnik V, the world’s first coronavirus vaccine, it signaled—albeit perhaps prematurely—not only a potential turning point in the fight to end th [...]
Bret Schafer on Information Warfare and How Social Media Disrupts Democracy on the Jist
Media and Digital Disinformation Fellow Bret Schafer joined Josh Hamilton on The Jist. Bret and Josh first spoke three to discuss the weaponization of information and the threat to democracy. Now, three years later, things have unfortunately not gott [...]
Hamilton Toplines: February 22-28, 2021
Last week, Russian state media seized on a story involving “leaked” U.K. Foreign Office documents that allegedly revealed the “UK government's covert operations aimed at tarnishing Russia's image.” The outlets used the story to accuse both the U.K. [...]
24 Group: How Obscure News Sites Selectively Spread Pro-Kremlin Disinformation
In July 2020, fact-checking and news organizations across Europe and the United States picked up on an emerging disinformation campaign that alleged Ukrainian soldiers died after testing an experimental U.S. COVID-19 vaccine. The story, which was de [...]
Hamilton Toplines: February 8-14, 2021
Last week, Russian state media and diplomats highlighted various instances of alleged censorship by social media companies—a recurring theme in Russia’s external messaging. State media cited Twitter’s ban of Project Veritas as an example of politica [...]
Nad’a Kovalčíková Disinformation During the Coronavirus Pandemic with the European People’s Party
Program Manager and Fellow Nad’a Kovalčíková joined the European People's Party podcast to discuss lessons learned from the Covid-19 infodemic, authoritarian countries’ effort to undermine democracies, the role of good and bad communication strategi [...]
Nad’a Kovalčíková Discusses Disinformation, AI, and the Coronavirus Pandemic on ‘Human Rights Talks’
Program Manager and Fellow Nad’a Kovalčíková joined the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights for an interview as part of their “AI and Covid-19 Digital Disinformation Initiative” series in partnership with the Organization for Security a [...]
Nad’a Kovalčíková Discusses Disinformation, AI, and the Coronavirus Pandemic with MIGS
Program Manager and Fellow Nad’a Kovalčíková joined the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights for an interview as part of their "AI and Covid-19 Digital Disinformation Initiative" series in partnership with the Organization for Security a [...]
Hamilton Toplines: February 1-7, 2021
In last week’s coronavirus vaccine developments, U.K. medical journal The Lancet published the results of a peer-reviewed study that placed Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine’s efficacy at a level comparable to that of leading Western vaccines. Russian stat [...]
Here and Now: Chinese Interference in the Transatlantic Space
For several years, the Alliance for Securing Democracy (ASD) has been monitoring and cataloging instances of authoritarian interference in the transatlantic space. In 2018, ASD launched the Authoritarian Interference Tracker, an online database that [...]
‘Wolf Warriors’ Go After U.K.’s Immigration Scheme for Hong Kong
Overview On January 31, 2021, a new immigration route for British National (Overseas) (BNO) passport holders came into force in the United Kingdom. The BNO was a document created for Hong Kong citizens who wanted to maintain ties with the U.K. after [...]