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.
For Your Eyes Only: Pro-Kremlin Visual Propaganda Appeals to Hearts and Minds in Italy
Italy has long been a prime target for Russian interference efforts. From cultivating malign financial ties and relationships with political elites to executing covert information operations, Russia has consistently sought to increase its influence [...]
Bribes and Lies: Foreign Interference in Europe in 2024
2024 is a year of critical elections around the world. This holds especially true in Europe, where, in June alone, the European Parliament elections, British snap elections, and surprise French parliamentary elections all took place in quick success [...]
American Democracy in the Crosshairs: Russian, Iranian, and Chinese State Messaging on the Attempted Trump Assassination
Introduction In the days after the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, a torrent of false and misleading information about the attack flooded social media. While the majority of these claims see [...]
Bret Schafer interviewed on CBS News: Russia Increasing Efforts to Spread Disinformation Online
Senior Fellow Bret Schafer spoke to CBS News about how Russian propaganda works and how Europeans and Americans can help stem its tide. watch here The views expressed in GMF publications and commentary are the views of the author alone. [...]
Bret Schafer on Fox News’ Special Report with Bret Baier on a Russian Influence Network Dismantled by US, Allies, and X Officials
Senior Fellow Bret Schafer joined Special Report with Bret Baier on Fox News to discuss the significance of a recently dismantled Russian influence network on X. watch here The views expressed in GMF publications and commentary are the views of [...]
Peter Benzoni quoted in Point Conference on Russian Information Laundering
Peter Benzoni, an investigative data and research analyst on the information manipulation team at the Alliance for Securing Democracy (ASD) presented the Information Laundromat. Using this tool, researchers examined content laundering practices acro [...]
ASD at GMF and the Cyber Collective Join Forces to Protect Democracy and Raise Cybersecurity Awareness
ASD at GMF and the Cyber Collective are excited to announce our partnership to strengthen global cybersecurity and protect democracy. This collaboration is designed to bring research-backed, expert-verified information to the top of the algorithms o [...]
Bret Schafer quoted in The New York Times on the Information Laundromat and Banned RT Content in the EU
“This is really the tip of the Russian propaganda iceberg,” said Bret Schafer, a co-author of the report and a senior fellow at German Marshall Fund. “It was quite evident when we were running the search results in the E.U. that if Russian propagand [...]
Faux Local News Sites, Lifestyle and Spirituality Blogs, and a Designated Terrorist Entity Among Nearly 400 Websites Laundering Russian Propaganda Online
New Information Laundromat tool used to analyze how RT.com skirts sanctions and platform bans Washington, D.C. – The Alliance for Securing Democracy at the German Marshall Fund of the United States (ASD at GMF), the University of Amsterdam (U [...]
The Russian Propaganda Nesting Doll: How RT is Layered into the Digital Information Environment
Executive Summary Over the past year, ASD at GMF, the University of Amsterdam (UvA), and the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) have collaborated to develop the Information Laundromat, an open-source tool to uncover content and metadata simila [...]
Five Questions for the US Senate Intelligence Hearing on Foreign Threats to the 2024 Election
Despite a lower profile in the national debate, the tools, tactics, motivations, and actors associated with foreign interference in US elections have evolved significantly since Russia’s “sweeping and systematic” 2016 operation. The Cybersecurity an [...]
David Salvo on the Brussels Sprouts Podcast at CNAS: Russian Influence on the Upcoming EU Elections
Co-Managing Director David Salvo joined the Center for a New American Security's Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend, alongside the International Republican Institute's Brady Hills, for an episode of the Brussels Sprouts podcast to discuss Russia [...]