Stories about Disinformation
A new game plays with ideas about how disinformation works in East Africa
"Chose Your Own Fake News" is an online game that teaches new internet users how to be more discerning about the information they receive and encounter in digital spaces.
How COVID-19 is intensifying content moderation’s flaws
Internet platforms have always struggled with free expression, misinformation, and hate speech. But the COVID crisis has elevated those problems to a new level
Cryptocurrency scammers flood Facebook users with ads for fake Forbes.com articles
Data publicly provided by Facebook about the adverts' reach indicate they have traveled far beyond North Macedonia, activists warn.
How identity-driven conflicts fuel Ethiopia's incendiary social media rhetoric
Unity Park aimed to tell the story of all Ethiopians and celebrate the country’s diversity. But social media revealed politicized, nationalistic reactions along ethnic lines: Amhara and Oromo.
Tunisia has a disinformation problem, but (further) criminalizing speech won't solve it
Following outcry from human rights groups and citizens, a controversial bill that sought to criminalize the spread of ‘’fake news’’ online was quickly withdrawn.
COVID-19 pandemic adversely affects digital rights in the Balkans
Digital rights NGOs warn about increase of cases of violation of privacy of people under quarantine, spread of disinformation and internet scams in Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
How ‘fake news’ and disinformation were spread in the run-up to Taiwan's presidential elections
Puma Shen, director of DoubleThink Labs, shares his observations on the ways in which fake news and disinformation were disseminated prior to Taiwan's January 11, 2020 presidential elections.
Hirak protests and a presidential election triggered a surge of disinformation in Algeria
With the December 12 presidential election approaching, pro-government supporters took to social media to attack anti-government activists.
Has Russia influenced the general elections in Mozambique?
The suspicions about Russia began before the elections with the publication of an electoral poll that gave clear victory for Frelimo.
Multiple measures failed to control mis- and disinformation in Tunisia's 2019 elections
In light of the lack of transparency from Facebook and a legal void characterizing the regulation of political ads on social media, measures to counter disinformation were inadequate.
Fact-checking service blames Croatian government for using EU money to fund online portal that spreads disinformation
A web portal infamous for proliferating falsehoods and nationalist hate has received funds slated for support of Small and Medium Enterprises from the European fund for Regional Development.
MP of populist right-wing political party from North Macedonia confirms existence of party’s troll army
MP Daniela Rangelova is not the first high party official to reveal details about the existence of VMRO-DPMNE's “troll army”.
Varakashi: Zimbabwe’s online brigade targets activists and dissidents
The overarching aim of the Varakashi is to push the narrative that anyone who disagrees with the Zimbabwean government is an agent of foreign powers, and therefore unpatriotic.
In Ethiopia’s disinformation epidemic, the crumbling ruling coalition is the elephant in the room
As acts of communal violence that took place in Oromia in October subsided, a new battle began online over interpretations of the violence — and who was to blame.
Twitter was a minefield of false information during the 2019 Nigerian elections
Twitter became a battle ground of ethnocentric disinformation and political propaganda before, during and in the immediate aftermath of the 2019 elections in Nigeria.
Social media propelled ethnocentric disinformation and propaganda during the Nigerian elections
The 2019 Nigerian elections witnessed unprecedented dissemination of ethnic hate speech at the service of disinformation and propaganda online, particularly on Twitter.
Beijing constructs an “independence” plot for Hong Kong protests through information operations
Initial findings strongly suggest that the Chinese Communist party and state media outlets played a key role in spreading disinformation that framed the protests as a “pro-Hong Kong independence” movement.
Ahead of Tunisia elections, social media was flooded with mis- and disinformation
In the months leading up to the elections, mis- and disinformation spread widely across social media platforms, Facebook in particular.
How Ethiopia's ruling coalition created a playbook for disinformation
Manipulation tactics used by Ethiopia's ruling coalition members against each other in their internal power struggle serve as a blueprint for opposition groups to attack their opponents and the government.
Zimbabwe government continues to weaponize information online to control citizen engagement
As a former state security minister, president Mnangagwa appreciated the importance and value of disinformation in Zimbabwe’s political terrain.
