Geoshawk, a disinfo dispatch: Issue No.29
Popular US news app w/Chinese roots spews local misinfo, US-Armenian preacher preaches disinfo, political memes as a predictor of political violence, & how the electoral college raises risk of disinfo
Hey, I’m Alan, & welcome to Geoshawk. Geoshawk curates news & research on influence operations (IO), covering tech, election integrity, miscellaneous global stories, USA, MENA, Russia, Caucasus, & Central Asia.
I hope you enjoy Geoshawk!
Tech Watch:
Google shuts down government disinformation campaigns on its platforms (SC Media, 06 June)
Ticked off: TikTok approves EU elections disinformation ads for publication in Ireland (Global Witness, 04 June)
Election Integrity:
Disinformation crisis unit on rapid alert around European elections (Guardian, 04 June)
Miscellaneous News & Research:
A Global Battle of Narratives: China’s Media Influence in Thailand (Friedrich Naumann Foundation, 06 June)
Disinformation on Aisle One: Ahold Delhaize Customers are Misled by Egg Cartons (Dataforprogress, 05 June)
Experts say use of political memes are a predictor of political violence (Phys, 05 June)
Deplatforming Accounts After the January 6th Insurrection at the US Capitol Reduced Misinformation on Twitter (Tech Policy Press, 05 June)
Study shows banning false information traffickers online can improve public discourse (Phys, 05 June)
Flood of disinformation – Southern Brazil climate emergency aggravated by fake news (Heinrich Böll Stiftung, 05 June)
The Secret To Beating Political Disinformation Is Knowing When Not To Fact-Check (Markup, 01 June)
Regions:
USA
NewsBreak: Most downloaded US news app has Chinese roots and 'writes fiction' using AI (Reuters, 05 June)
How the Electoral College increases disinformation risks (Brookings Institute, 05 June)
Disinformation campaign uses fake footage to claim attack on USS Eisenhower (CBSNews, 05 June)
How I Became a Target of the Russian Disinformation Machine—And the GOP (Vanityfair, 04 June)
Two years later, obvious misinformation is finally taken down (Washington Post, 03 June)
79 Percent of Americans Worry About Misinformation Ahead of Elections (Truthout, 02 June)
The Coast Guard Must Prepare for AI-Enhanced Disinformation (June, 2024)
Trump Deepfakes, Misinformation Flood X After Conviction (Bloomberg, 31 May)
MENA
Israel Secretly Targets U.S. Lawmakers With Influence Campaign on Gaza War (NYT, 05 June)
Israeli influence operation highlights global disinformation industry (Cyberscoop, 05 June)
RUSSIA
Russian “Trolls” turn to Western AI for their disinformation campaigns (The Bell, 06 June)
Bulgaria’s June 2024 elections: Defence Ministry slams political party over disinformation (Sofiaglobe, 06 June)
Russia: How the Kremlin is using AI to enhance video surveillance (Eurasianet, 04 June)
Pro-Russian influence campaign targets Australian media outlets, including ABC, researchers find (ABC, 03 June)
Russian misinformation campaign targets Paris Olympics, report says (Axios, 03 June)
News site editor’s ties to Iran, Russia show misinformation’s complexity (Washingtonpost, 02 june)
Russian propaganda push expected in Chicago for Democratic National Convention, experts say (WBEZChicago, 31 May)
CAUCASUS
BREAKING: US State Department Implements First Tranche of Sanctions against Georgian Individuals (Civil, 06 June)
Exclusive: Azerbaijani Officials Targeted France With New Caledonia Disinformation Campaign (RFERL, 06 June)
How a Defrocked Armenian Preacher Uses YouTube to Spread Misinformation to His Flock (Markup, 06 June)
How Armenia fights disinformation amidst a security crisis (Euractiv, 31 May)
CENTRAL ASIA
Georgian NGOs Raise Alarm Over Chinese Involvement in the Country (Caucasuswatch, 06 June)