Geoshawk, a disinfo digest: Issue No.26
MIT's new tool for collective MDM assessment, 3 new AI bills, EU monitors for Fico disinfo, Russia goes physical hitting European facilities, & Paris targets Baku for conducting IOs in New Caledonia
Hey, I’m Alan, and welcome to Geoshawk. Geoshawk curates top weekly headlines & research on Mis/Disinformation, Influence Ops, Tech, & Election Integrity.
I hope you are enjoying Geoshawk!
P.S. If you have feedback on the format or want to see more regions, lmk :)
TECH WATCH:
New tool empowers users to fight online misinformation (MIT, 16 May)
EU ‘closely’ monitoring X in wake of Fico shooting as DSA disinfo probe rumbles on (Techcrunch, 16 May)
US Senate AI Working Group Releases Policy Roadmap (Techpolicy, 15 May)
Three bills governing AI in elections pass Senate committee (Cyberscoop, 15 May)
Startup Aims To Help Publishers Collect Fees from AI Companies (Techpolicy, 14 May)
ELECTION INTEGRITY:
AI and deepfakes blur reality in India elections (BBCNews, 15 May)
U.S. elections face more threats from foreign actors and artificial intelligence (NPR, 15 May)
AI and Elections: Lessons From South Korea (Diplomat, 13 May)
GLOBAL:
A second scourge is battering Brazil’s flooded south: Disinformation (AP News, 15 May)
USA:
The split reality of election threats on Capitol Hill (Axios, 14 May)
Attacking birth control pills, US influencers push misinformation (France24, 13 May)
RUSSIA:
Russian Disinfo Campaign Blames Ukraine for Shooting of Slovakia’s Prime Minister (Wired, 16 May)
Georgia’s government uses Kremlin playbook to consolidate grip on power (Atlantic Council, 15 May)
Putin’s Reshuffle Is About Optimization, Not Change (Carnegieendowment, 15 May)
EU Backs New Sanctions Targeting Russian Propaganda Outlets (Bloomberg, 15 May)
Barbarians at the gate: Von der Leyen makes foreign influence a key campaign topic (Politico, 14 May)
Serbian Propaganda Factories Boost Support for Moscow (Center for European Policy Analysis, 14 May)
Propaganda and ‘Active Measures’ in Russian Information Operations (Jamestown, 13 May)
Russia's 'brazen' and intensifying sabotage campaign across Europe (NBCNews, 13 May)
France warns Department of Foreign Affairs about Russian disinformation targeting Irish voters (Irishtimes, 11 May)
MENA:
Google fires 28 employees after protest against contract with Israeli government (CBSNews, 13 May)
CAUCASUS:
Tbilisi Mayor Warns of External Influence in Georgian Protests (Caucasuswatch, 17 May)
Azerbaijan's interference operations in New Caledonia is only part of the story (LeMonde, 16 May)
Amid Pressure From Baku, U.S. Diplomat Tours Nagorno-Karabakh (RFERL, 15 May)
Georgia: Tracing the rise of illiberalism in Tbilisi (Eurasianet, 15 May)
How the Georgian Government, Once a US Ally, Became an Adversary, Against the Wishes of Its Protesting Citizens (Justsecurity, 14 May)
CENTRAL ASIA:
Kazakh Activist Serves 5 Days In Jail For Removing Soviet Flag From Private Car (RFERL, 15 May)
Jailed For Insulting The Uzbek President (RFERL, 12 May)