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.
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 2.0Â 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 [...]
Hamilton Toplines: Jan 4–10, 2023
Hamilton 2.0Â 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 narrativ [...]
Our Experts’ 2023 Policy Wish List to Strengthen Democracy
At the start of the new year, we asked our experts to each put forth one recommendation that would strengthen democracy during a period of declining trust, emboldened autocrats, and war. Their answers touch on a variety of issues—from the war in Ukr [...]
Hamilton Toplines: December 28, 2022–January 3, 2023
Hamilton 2.0Â 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 [...]
Hamilton Toplines: December 7–13, 2022
Hamilton 2.0Â 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 narrativ [...]
Hamilton Toplines: November 30–December 6, 2022
Hamilton 2.0Â 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 narrativ [...]
Oh, the Irony…Russia Spreads Disinformation about Polish Annexation of Western Ukrainian Regions
Days after an errant Ukrainian missile tragically killed two civilians in Poland, Russian state-sponsored media began reporting on a strange conspiracy theory—that Poland wants to annex three counties in western Ukraine. ASD at GMF’s Yandex Dashboar [...]
Hamilton Toplines: November 16–29, 2022
Hamilton 2.0Â 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 narrativ [...]
Hamilton Monthly Report: October 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 [...]
Moscow’s Mixed Messages: How Setbacks in Ukraine Split Messaging among Once-Unified Kremlin Loyalists
While Russian information operators in government and state-sponsored media presented a relatively united front at the onset of the renewed invasion of Ukraine, setbacks during the war have caused significant divergences in messaging. Ukraine’s succ [...]