Geoshawk, a disinfo dispatch: No.37

Google's "About This Image" improved to counter misinfo + deepfakes, Microsoft 50-page report talks threats+opportunities of AI-generated content, & study says disinfo goes "nuclear," not viral.

Hey, I’m Alan, & welcome to Geoshawk. Geoshawk curates news & research on influence operations, with sections on tech, election integrity, miscellaneous news/research, & regional focuses on the USA, MENA, Russia, the Caucasus, & Central Asia.

I hope you enjoy Geoshawk!

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Tech Watch:

• Google tweaks ‘Search’ by making it easier to remove explicit deepfakes (Thetechportal, 31 July)

  • New ways to access About this image

• Microsoft report highlights AI efforts around election misinformation and harmful deepfakes (Digiday, 31 July)

  • Abusive AI-Generated Content

• Newly identified bot-like accounts are generating billions of impressions, sowing division and spreading disinformation on X (Global Witness, 31 July)

• TikTok Videos About Urogynecologic Conditions: Yale Study Shows Misinformation Gets More Engagement (Yale Medical, 31 July)

• Redefining AI for Africa: The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Kenya’s Grassroots Movement (Tech Policy Press, 30 July)

• A parody ad shared by Elon Musk clones Kamala Harris’ voice, raising concerns about AI in politics (AP News, 29 July)

• NazTok: An organized neo-Nazi TikTok network is getting millions of views (Institute for Strategic Dialogue, 29 July)

• Disinformation code needs formal place under DSA, regulators say (Euronews, 29 July)

• The JD Vance rumor shows how easily misinformation spreads, with or without AI (Fast Rumor, 26 July)

Election Integrity:

• Elon Musk Says He Would Recognize a Harris Election Victory (The Atlantic, 1 August)

• Misconstrued Venezuelan news broadcast fuels election misinformation (FactcheckAFP, 31 July)

• Misleading Election Dates Circulated On Social Media (Srilanka.factcrescendo, 26 July)

Miscellaneous News & Research:

• Why Chinese Propaganda Loves Foreign Travel Bloggers (NYT, 31 July)

• Liars know they are lying: differentiating disinformation from disagreement (Nature, 31 July)

• Disinformation may ‘go nuclear’ rather than ‘go viral,’ researchers say (Techcrunch, 30 July)

• Study reveals impact of concern about misinformation on Americans' media consumption habits (Phys, 30 July)

• Elsevier: 96% of researchers weigh genAI’s benefits and misinformation risks (RDWorld, 30 July)

Regions:

• USA

  • Michigan attorney general has low expectations for fighting 2024 disinformation (Axios, 30 July)

  • Fake social media bots run by Russia connected to a Phoenix tech company (AZ Family, 29 July)

  • Russia is relying on unwitting Americans to spread election disinformation, US officials say (AP News, 29 July)

    • U.S. intelligence official: Russia and Iran likely seeking to influence election outcome (NBC News, 29 July)

  • U.S. told Philippines it made ‘missteps’ in secret anti-vax propaganda effort (Reuters, 26 July)

• MENA

• RUSSIA

  • Russia vs Ukraine: the biggest war of the fake news era (Reuters, 1 August)

  • Sincerely peaceful missile deployments (EUvDisinfo, 1 August)

  • Russian fake news about Southport attack is ‘grey warfare’, says former MI6 head (Telegraph, 1 August)

    • Online misinformation fueled tensions over the stabbing attack in Britain that killed 3 children (AP News, 1 August)

• CAUCASUS

  • Alleged Iranian-Armenian arms deal stirs controversy in the Caucasus (Eurasianet, 30 July)

  • Georgia: Yet another coup plot claimed by government (Eurasianet, 26 July)

  • Interview with Nino Dolidze: election turnout in Georgia is most important now (EUvDisinfo, 26 July)

• CENTRAL ASIA

  • All quiet on the CA front!