Geoshawk, a disinfo dispatch: No.44
Busy week: FTC accuses social media firms of conducting vast surveillance, CA signs new deepfake laws, Telegram founder says no to talking w/ Russian gov, new Youtube AI features & 30 more headlines!
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:
FTC report assails social networks’ privacy, safety practices (Washington Post, 19 September)
The 'wild, wild west' of WhatsApp misinformation (Scripps News, 19 September)
Predicting Malicious Behavior on X Before It Happens This AI accurately identifies 75% of Tweeters who will become malicious” (IEEE Spectrum, 18 September)
YouTube announces AI features from Google DeepMind for Shorts creators (CNBC, 18 September)
More Americans – especially young adults – are regularly getting news on TikTok (Pew Research Center, 17 September)
Google Wins Fight to Scrap $1.7 Billion EU Antitrust Fine Over Ads (Wall Street Journal, 18 September)
Ireland sniffs around Google’s AI models (GZERO Media, 17 September)
Election Integrity:
How A.I., QAnon and Falsehoods Are Reshaping the Presidential Race (NYT, 17 September)
Miscellaneous News & Research:
Africans’ Reliance on Social Media For News Increases Their Vulnerability to Disinformation, Survey Reveals (PC Tech Mag, 19 September)
Top US general for Africa says Russia, China spreading misinformation across Sahel (Al Arabiya, 12 September)
94% of Americans Are Concerned About Election Misinformation (PC Mag, 18 September)
AI Chatbot Election Misinformation A Threat To Disabled Voters, Study Shows (Forbes, 18 September)
Facts May Not Be Enough To Correct Science Misinformation (Futurity, 17 September)
This Chatbot Pulls People Away From Conspiracy Theories (NYT, 12 September)
Regions:
USA
New AI Laws Aim to Curb Election Misinformation, Protect Hollywood Actors (Newsweek, 17 September)
Gavin Newsom signs election ‘deepfake’ ban in rebuke to Elon Musk (Politico, 17 September)
Russian election interference efforts focus on the Harris-Walz campaign (Microsoft, 17 September)
Ryan Routh’s support for Ukraine is a propaganda win for Moscow, at a very tricky time for Kyiv (CNN, 17 September)
Russian Indictments Highlight US Limitations in Fighting Disinformation (Tech Policy Press, 13 September)
Blinken says Russia's RT is conducting intelligence activities overseas (Reuters, 13 September)
MENA
US rejects as ‘fabrication’ Houthis’ claim it offered them recognition to stop attacks (The Arab Weekly, 17 September)
RUSSIA
Telegram Founder Durov ‘Not Interested’ in Talking With Russian Officials, Envoy Says (The Moscow Times, 19 September)
Putin wants Russia’s youth to become ultranationalist patriots. Many are all in. (Washington Post, 19 September)
Antiwar film or propaganda? ‘Russians at War’ draws protests at festivals. (Washington Post, 18 September)
Meta Bans Russian State Media Outlets Over 'Interference' (The Moscow Times, 17 September)
Leak Shows Russian Agency Working To Boost German AfD: Media (Barrons, 16 September)
‘We’re Taking on Russian Propaganda’: Why a Romanian Media Outlet Came to Moldova (Balkan Insight, 16 September)
Kremlin Revives Soviet-Style Youth Indoctrination as It Eyes ‘Forever War’ With Ukraine and the West (The Moscow Times, 13 September)
CAUCASUS
Azerbaijan Accuses Red Cross of Siding with Armenia (OCCRP, 18 September)
Georgian Officials Rebuke US Senators Over Election and NGO Criticisms (Caucasus Watch, 17 September)
Georgian MP accuses “radicals” of “spreading disinformation”, preparing for “destabilisation” after October elections (Agenda, 14 September)
CENTRAL ASIA
Factcheck.kz has become the first Kazakh partner in Meta’s global fact-checking program (Inform, 16 September)
Kazakhstan: New rules on media access spark controversy, complaints (Eurasianet, 13 September)