An ongoing information operation is using a network of bots made up of newly created and stolen accounts to target a businessman, exiled from China, who has spoken critically of China’s response to COVID-19. Yet identifying the network has revealed a much larger operation amplifying content across multiple languages, platforms, countries, and topics, with links…
There is no such thing as harmless disinformation during a pandemic. Yet COVID-19 disinformation spreading within and about religious communities deserves particular attention. Why? Think about it this way: Within insular groups, especially those that are critical and/or suspicious of science, lies and misleading information about a global health crisis can spread faster than a…
The ongoing conflict in West Papua has surged recently as the West Papuan freedom movement seeks independence from Indonesia. While aggression has been documented on both sides, there are grave concerns that Indonesian security forces have been responsible for human rights abuses through the violent suppression of West Papuans in their pursuit of independence. Hostilities…
On August 14, a Twitter thread that included a small army of “Amazon FC Ambassadors” went viral, bringing to light Amazon’s year-long social media brand ambassador program. What exactly are these “Amazon FC Ambassadors”, how many of them are there, and are they actually real people? The Amazon Research Agency These “Amazon FC Ambassadors” all…
To some researchers, TweetDeck might seem superfluous in a world where Twitter Advanced Search exists. The platform would appear to be just a prettier version of what you are already doing through Twitter. However, I am here to show you how TweetDeck can vastly simplify and organize your research while allowing you to collect a…
