Geoshawk, a disinfo dispatch: No.40
Crypto companies spend $$$ influencing elections, Meta removes disinfo network targeting South Caucasus, US investigating Americans who worked with Russian state TV, & 22 more news/research highlights
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!
Tech Watch:
How a Law That Shields Big Tech Is Now Being Used Against It (NYT, 20 August)
Elon Musk’s X shuts Brazil office over misinformation probe (Semafor, 18 August)
Map Shows Countries Where Facebook Is Blocked (Newsweek, 16 August)
Don’t Let Generative AI Distract Us from the Real Election Risks in Tech (Tech Policy Press, 16 August)
Russia’s AI tactics for US election interference are failing, Meta says (Guardian, 15 August)
Election Integrity:
AI disinformation: lessons from the UK’s election (Australian Strategic Policy Institute, 16 August)
Miscellaneous News & Research:
The Game of the Ear: Disinformation Networks in West Africa (Atlas News, 23 August)
Misinformation about Hindus being targeted in Bangladesh fuels Islamophobia fears (South China Morning Post, 23 August)
Pakistan authorities charge man with cyber terrorism over misinformation that sparked riots in UK (AP News, 21 August)
Big Crypto, Big Spending: Crypto Corporations Spend an Unprecedented $119 Million Influencing Elections (Public Citizen, 21 August)
Facts alone fall short in correcting science misinformation (Phys, 21 August)
Narrative reversals and story success (Science, 21 August)
Political deepfake videos no more deceptive than other fake news, research finds (Phys, 19 August)
Regions:
USA
North Korean ‘gray zone provocations’ are targeted during large-scale joint drills (Stars and Stripes, 23 August)
Fake celebrity endorsements become latest weapon in misinformation wars, sowing confusion ahead of 2024 election (CNN, 22 August)
U.S. Investigating Americans Who Worked With Russian State Television (NYT, 21 August)
MENA
OpenAI Busts Iran-Linked Disinformation Campaign After Microsoft, Google Identified Similar Operations (Forbes, 16 August)
RUSSIA
Baltic states boost security measures in face of Russian aggression - but efforts are plagued by misinformation (Logically Facts, 23 August)
As Telegram, WhatsApp, and numerous other web services go down in Russia, Moscow blames attackers while activists suspect Kremlin interference (Meduza, 21 August)
Moscow detains scientist suspected of carrying out DDoS attacks on Russia (The Record by Recorded Future, 21 August)
Russia prepares disinformation campaigns targeting Ukrainian refugees in Europe, military intelligence says (Kyiv Independent, 21 August)
Kremlin’s disinformation battle intensifies with new case against Italian reporters (Decode39, 21 August)
Journalist Masha Gessen granted Australian visa after delays due to Russian charges (Guardian, 19 August)
CAUCASUS
Meta Removes Russian-Origin Fake Account Network Targeting South Caucasus (Caucasus Watch, 19 August)
CENTRAL ASIA
Kazakhstan to Correct False Harvests That Echo Soviet-Era Deceit (Yahoo/Bloomberg, 16 August)