#influenceoperations — Public Fediverse posts

"As Alberta moves toward a possible independence referendum this October, Canada has become the latest battleground in Russia’s long-running shadow war against the West, with Kremlin disinformation operations, MAGA influencers, Trump-aligned figures, and Russian propaganda networks all converging to amplify narratives to convince Canadians that their country stands on the verge of collapse, fragmentation, and institutional failure."

<< Putin and Trump’s Overlapping Operations Have Reached Canada >>
by @OlgaLautman for Unmasking Russia, 05/11/2026

https://olgalautman.substack.com/p/putin-and-trumps-overlapping-operations

#Russia #Canada #Putin #Kremlin #authoritarianism #SpheresOfInfluence #ProjectRussia #influenceoperations #propaganda #reflexivecontrol #disinfowatch

"As Alberta moves toward a possible independence referendum this October, Canada has become the latest battleground in Russia’s long-running shadow war against the West, with Kremlin disinformation operations, MAGA influencers, Trump-aligned figures, and Russian propaganda networks all converging to amplify narratives to convince Canadians that their country stands on the verge of collapse, fragmentation, and institutional failure."

<< Putin and Trump’s Overlapping Operations Have Reached Canada >>
by @OlgaLautman for Unmasking Russia, 05/11/2026

https://olgalautman.substack.com/p/putin-and-trumps-overlapping-operations

#Russia #Canada #Putin #Kremlin #authoritarianism #SpheresOfInfluence #ProjectRussia #influenceoperations #propaganda #reflexivecontrol #disinfowatch

"As Alberta moves toward a possible independence referendum this October, Canada has become the latest battleground in Russia’s long-running shadow war against the West, with Kremlin disinformation operations, MAGA influencers, Trump-aligned figures, and Russian propaganda networks all converging to amplify narratives to convince Canadians that their country stands on the verge of collapse, fragmentation, and institutional failure."

<< Putin and Trump’s Overlapping Operations Have Reached Canada >>
by @OlgaLautman for Unmasking Russia, 05/11/2026

https://olgalautman.substack.com/p/putin-and-trumps-overlapping-operations

#Russia #Canada #Putin #Kremlin #authoritarianism #SpheresOfInfluence #ProjectRussia #influenceoperations #propaganda #reflexivecontrol #disinfowatch

"As Alberta moves toward a possible independence referendum this October, Canada has become the latest battleground in Russia’s long-running shadow war against the West, with Kremlin disinformation operations, MAGA influencers, Trump-aligned figures, and Russian propaganda networks all converging to amplify narratives to convince Canadians that their country stands on the verge of collapse, fragmentation, and institutional failure."

<< Putin and Trump’s Overlapping Operations Have Reached Canada >>
by @OlgaLautman for Unmasking Russia, 05/11/2026

https://olgalautman.substack.com/p/putin-and-trumps-overlapping-operations

#Russia #Canada #Putin #Kremlin #authoritarianism #SpheresOfInfluence #ProjectRussia #influenceoperations #propaganda #reflexivecontrol #disinfowatch

Risk Informed: New Framework Integrates Assessment into Cognitive Ops Design

In cognitive operations, risk multiplies rapidly, making every design decision a high-stakes game - which is why integrating risk assessment into Cognitive Ops Design is a crucial step that can't be ignored. By acknowledging the unpredictable ripple effects of cognitive ops, you can proactively…

https://osintsights.com/risk-informed-new-framework-integrates-assessment-into-cognitive-ops-design?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

#CognitiveOpsDesign #NonkineticInfluence #RiskAssessment #OperationalRisk #InfluenceOperations

Thursday, August 28, 2025

Admission of guilt: Ukraine blasts Russia’s planned withdrawal from torture prevention convention — Powerful explosion rocks Russian oil pipeline supplying Moscow — Across occupied Ukraine, Russia has caused a devastating water crisis it cannot fix — [vlog] Why Russia’s war won’t end yet … and more

https://activitypub.writeworks.uk/2025/08/thursday-august-28-2025/

Thursday, August 28, 2025

Admission of guilt: Ukraine blasts Russia’s planned withdrawal from torture prevention convention — Powerful explosion rocks Russian oil pipeline supplying Moscow — Across occupied Ukraine, Russia has caused a devastating water crisis it cannot fix — [vlog] Why Russia’s war won’t end yet … and more

https://activitypub.writeworks.uk/2025/08/thursday-august-28-2025/

Thursday, August 28, 2025

Admission of guilt: Ukraine blasts Russia’s planned withdrawal from torture prevention convention — Powerful explosion rocks Russian oil pipeline supplying Moscow — Across occupied Ukraine, Russia has caused a devastating water crisis it cannot fix — [vlog] Why Russia’s war won’t end yet … and more

https://activitypub.writeworks.uk/2025/08/thursday-august-28-2025/

Thursday, August 28, 2025

Admission of guilt: Ukraine blasts Russia’s planned withdrawal from torture prevention convention — Powerful explosion rocks Russian oil pipeline supplying Moscow — Across occupied Ukraine, Russia has caused a devastating water crisis it cannot fix — [vlog] Why Russia’s war won’t end yet … and more

https://activitypub.writeworks.uk/2025/08/thursday-august-28-2025/

Thursday, August 28, 2025

Admission of guilt: Ukraine blasts Russia’s planned withdrawal from torture prevention convention — Powerful explosion rocks Russian oil pipeline supplying Moscow — Across occupied Ukraine, Russia has caused a devastating water crisis it cannot fix — [vlog] Why Russia’s war won’t end yet … and more

https://activitypub.writeworks.uk/2025/08/thursday-august-28-2025/

Around 200 news organisations have been targeted this year by Russian disinformation to deplete fact-checking resources:

"Those targeted include @TheJournal, The Guardian, BBC, The Daily Mail, Fox News, The New York Times, the Press Association, Der Spiegel, and the investigative website @Bellingcat."

https://www.thejournal.ie/operation-overload-russian-disinformation-campaign-6488851-Sep2024/

#Disinformation #InfluenceOperations #PsychologicalOperations #PsyOps #Destabilisation #Journalism #Democracy

https://www.europesays.com/africa/96667/ From Wagner to intelligence service SVR — How Russia rewired its Africa operations #Africa #DisinformationCampaigns #InfluenceOperations #Russia'sForeignIntelligenceService #SVR #WagnerGroupAfricaOperations

The propaganda machine was built to last. The movement carrying it wasn't.
https://youtube.com/shorts/25ezUUVoaEU

#Propaganda #Russia #Disinformation #MediaCriticism #Politics #InfluenceOperations

Does Russian influence survive when the American right devours itself?
https://open.substack.com/pub/joetripician/p/the-firehose-and-the-fracture

#Propaganda #Russia #Disinformation #MediaCriticism #Politics #InfluenceOperations

〝The inauthentic network linked to the Georgian government’s Strategic Communications (StratCom) department amplified misleading and false war-dragging narratives. Georgia’s StratCom department receives financial support from the US and other Western partners.〞
— @DFRLab
#inauthentic #influenceOperations #Georgia #Ukraine #StratCom #disinformation #Facebook #OSINT #investigation
https://dfrlab.org/2023/09/20/inauthentic-facebook-network-linked-to-georgian-government-stratcom-unit/

〝The inauthentic network linked to the Georgian government’s Strategic Communications (StratCom) department amplified misleading and false war-dragging narratives. Georgia’s StratCom department receives financial support from the US and other Western partners.〞
— @DFRLab
#inauthentic #influenceOperations #Georgia #Ukraine #StratCom #disinformation #Facebook #OSINT #investigation
https://dfrlab.org/2023/09/20/inauthentic-facebook-network-linked-to-georgian-government-stratcom-unit/

〝The inauthentic network linked to the Georgian government’s Strategic Communications (StratCom) department amplified misleading and false war-dragging narratives. Georgia’s StratCom department receives financial support from the US and other Western partners.〞
— @DFRLab
#inauthentic #influenceOperations #Georgia #Ukraine #StratCom #disinformation #Facebook #OSINT #investigation
https://dfrlab.org/2023/09/20/inauthentic-facebook-network-linked-to-georgian-government-stratcom-unit/

〝The inauthentic network linked to the Georgian government’s Strategic Communications (StratCom) department amplified misleading and false war-dragging narratives. Georgia’s StratCom department receives financial support from the US and other Western partners.〞
— @DFRLab
#inauthentic #influenceOperations #Georgia #Ukraine #StratCom #disinformation #Facebook #OSINT #investigation
https://dfrlab.org/2023/09/20/inauthentic-facebook-network-linked-to-georgian-government-stratcom-unit/

How China waged an infowar against U.S. interests in the Philippines

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://interaksyon.philstar.com/politics-issues/2025/10/06/303060/how-china-waged-an-infowar-against-u-s-interests-in-the-philippines/

Another #introduction post for newcomers! I am a #British #propaganda #academic living in the #UnitedStates! I am fascinated with #deception in politics and war and was central in exposing the #CambridgeAnalytica scandal over misuse of #Facebook data. Follow me for #influenceoperations #disinformation #media #technology #transparency #policy #stratcom #conflict #regulation #ethics #governance including #military #informationoperations and the occasional cute dog pic 🐕 - thanks!! #introductions

Hi folks, #FollowFriday! - follow me if you are interested in #influenceoperations #disinformation #media #technology #transparency #propaganda #policy #stratcom #conflict #regulation #ethics and #governance including in #military #informationoperations - thanks!!

The expanding scope of Russian hybrid warfare

Agnieszka Rogozińska 29 March 2026, 13:30 7 min. Cyber-attacks attributed to Russia a…
#Europe #EU #AdvancedPersistentThreats #APT #APT28 #CentralandEasternEurope #Counter-disinformationstrategies #CzechRepublic #EEAS #EuropeanUnion #HybridWarfare #Influenceoperations #informationwarfare #Kremlin #NATO #Networkintrusion #Poland #Russia #RussianCyberWarfare #RussianIntelligence #Socialengineeringattacks #Ukraine
https://www.europesays.com/europe/408/

The expanding scope of Russian hybrid warfare

Agnieszka Rogozińska Cyber-attacks attributed to Russia across Central and Eastern Euro…
#Europe #EU #advancedpersistentthreats #APT. #APT28 #CentralandEasternEurope #Counter-disinformationstrategies #czechrepublic #EEAS #EuropeanUnion #Hybridwarfare #influenceoperations #informationwarfare #Kremlin #NATO #Networkintrusion #poland #Russia #RussianCyberWarfare #russianintelligence #Socialengineeringattacks #Ukraine
https://www.europesays.com/2881119/

9/10 🚨 Disinformation is a versatile, evolving threat.

It’s not just about individual fake news stories—it’s about long-term, adaptive attacks on democratic systems.

🎯 Key takeaway from the paper:
🛡️ Defenses must be just as adaptable as the threats they counter.
🔄 Cross-institutional cooperation is vital.
📊 We need sector-specific AND integrated threat analyses.

#DemocracyUnderAttack #InfluenceOperations #HybridThreats

How many people think @elonmusk bought #Twitter to #bankrupt it for a foreign power?

#PublicSquare #ForeignPower #InfluenceOperations?

NEW ARTICLE: Coordination in the Influence Industry: 'Surfacing' Team Jorge https://www.patreon.com/posts/78908871?pr=true #propaganda #disinformation #CambridgeAnalytica #TeamJorge #privateintelligence #intelligence #InfluenceOperations #Nigeria @potemkinvillage

Seems like a nice community here (and man, I like that I have more than 280 signs to blab on and on about stuff), so I'm gonna put out a question:

While I'm still struggling with adjusting the language in my mastodon app, I have done some looking around and haven't found many people who talk about #disinformation. Now, I'm aware that this might absolutely be due to my still-finding-the-lay-of-the-land status here, but perhaps someone has some suggestions?

Anyone who works on / is interested in the following? And this post also very elegantly lets me make my point that we live in a definition spahgetti bowl :skp345:

#propaganda #misinformation #disinformation #infowars #infowar #influenceoperations #interference #hybridthreats #informationdisorder #informationintegrity #informationmanipulation #cib #computationalpropaganda #informationchaos #malinformation

Oh, I also like "problematic information" - it's so precise, no? Tells you EXACTLY what you mean, no?

And for good order, I also mention #fakenews even though I can talk a long time about why we shouldn't use it.

If I missed any terms, don't be shy and add them with a brief explanation of why it's necessary to use that term instead of any of the other ones (yes, I'm looking for fellow nerds :dy54:)

OpenAI stopped 5 campaigns that used its tech for ‘deceptive influence’ - The AI firm has terminated accounts linked to several alleged foreign co... - https://cointelegraph.com/news/openai-disrupts-global-influence-operations-abusing-ai-tech #influenceoperations #contentgeneration #covertcampaigns #aimanipulation #disinformation #doppelganger #virtualmedia #spamouflage #badgrammar #chatgpt #openai

https://www.europesays.com/africa/92212/ Russia’s Institutionalization of Influence in Africa #Africa #AfricaCorps #InfluenceOperations #InterPopulum:TheJournalOfIrregularWarfareAndSpecialOperations #JointSpecialOperationsUniversity(JSOU) #ProxyWarfare #SahelSecurity #USSpecialOperationsForces(USSOF) #USAFRICOM #USSOCOM #WagnerGroup

https://winbuzzer.com/2026/02/27/openai-chinese-police-used-chatgpt-plan-smear-campaigns-dissidents-xcxwbn/

OpenAI: Chinese Cops Used ChatGPT to Plan Dissident Smear Ops

#AI #ChatGPT #OpenAI #Cybersecurity #CyberThreats #Cyberattacks #Hackers #Disinformation #AIMisinformation #Censorship #AISafety #AISecurity #China #InfluenceOperations #TransnationalRepression

Google's TAG disrupts over 13,000 coordinated influence operations in Q3 2024: TAG's Q3 2024 bulletin reveals surge in Russian and Chinese influence campaigns, with increased focus on geopolitical narratives. https://ppc.land/googles-tag-disrupts-over-13-000-coordinated-influence-operations-in-q3-2024/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon #GoogleTAG #InfluenceOperations #Geopolitics #CyberSecurity #InformationWars

🇬🇧🕵️🧑‍💻🧑‍🏫 The British Computer Society has published my recent presentation for them in London, on my investigations of international influence operations and misinformation spread affecting the UK, and OSINT/SOCMINT basics.
▶️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBhHVtKbvkI

#disinformation #misinformation #informationWarfare #propaganda #influenceOperations #OSINT #SOCMINT #London #UK

MON SEP/15: 🇬🇧🕵️🧑‍💻🧑‍🏫 I'll be at the British Computer Society (BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT) London, presenting observations from my infop/misinfo investigations, with OSINT/SOCMINT basics.
Details and registration (in-person or online) at https://www.bcs.org/events-calendar/2025/september/hybrid-disinformation-in-practice-tips-and-tools/

#UK #influenceOperations #misinformation #disinformation #OSINT #SOCMINT #London #tech #platforms

#OpenAI disrupted 10 #influenceoperations using its AI tools, including four likely originating in #China, utilising tactics like social engineering, surveillance, false impressions. https://www.npr.org/2025/06/05/nx-s1-5423607/openai-china-influence-operations?eicker.news #tech #media #news

DFA says supporting efforts to counter ‘influence operations’

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://interaksyon.philstar.com/politics-issues/2025/04/28/295545/dfa-supporting-efforts-to-counter-influence-operations/

#Meta stops fact-checking, China launches #DeepSeek, China & Russia interfere in elections in Spain, Germany & Croatia, EU investigates X support for German far right.

Read more in latest edition of perspicacity @ https://tinyurl.com/y9ajdj24 😊

#disinformation #influenceoperations #electioninterference

📌 FIMI, Cognitive Warfare & Hybrid Threats—how do they differ?

🛰️ FIMI: Tactical manipulation of the information space—often used by foreign actors (e.g., Russia, China) to mislead, polarize, or destabilize.

🧠 Cognitive Warfare: Long-term strategy targeting how people think, process info & form beliefs.

⚔️ Hybrid Threats: Disinfo is one tool in a broader toolkit—including cyber, military, economic coercion.

#InfluenceOperations #PsyOps #NatSec

https://techcrunch.com/2025/03/07/russian-propoganda-is-reportely-influencing-ai-chatbot-results/
#AI #Russia #Pravda #influenceoperations #datapoisoning

I think there's a general need for education regarding influence operations (and my focus is on those by Russia) here on the fediverse.

1) No, Russia isn't just pushing right-wing agendas/topics. The _stated_ purpose, from 1997 IIRC, is to sow division in the west. That means that there's roughly an equal chance that a raging leftwing lunatic is on Russia's payroll as your average Tate-Musk-Trump-Orban-Fico fanatic.

2) "Doomism" is a goal. The more we are complaining on how bad things are - the more successful they are. A great way to counter these influence operations is to talk about how _good_ things are. Because there's plenty of awesomeness in our society (I'm not from the US - that's a global perspective) to share.

3) These operations are _long term_. The troll factories aren't just newly created accounts spamming out the same message everywhere. That online magazine that has published for 10 years could be a sleeper influence operation. A person _living in Germany_ spending time online just as anybody else could too.

4) You're getting influenced. Basic psychology says you cannot avoid it (the anchoring effect). The only thing you can do is to be aware of it, and actively working against the very goals of the influence operations.

Remember what those were now again?

#InfluenceOperations #Russia #MAGA #Politics

🧑‍💻🕵️🧑‍🏫🇬🇧 The recording of my and @marcowenjones' webinar for the Central London Humanists, on our investigations of international cross-platform influence operation "The Qatar Plot", and of misinformation spread during the Southport-spinoff riots that followed in the UK, has been published.
▶️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmmTWleCCXs

#misinformation #SouthportRiots #UK #infops #influenceOperations #disinformation #astroturfing #socialMedia #webinar

NEW!!! I was honored to be @NadineSmith guest on Wide Awake America talking about Big Tech's silent relentless coup and resisting #propaganda that threatens to conquer our democracies. Listen and read here 👇✊ https://open.substack.com/pub/1nadinesmith/p/big-techs-silent-relentless-coup?r=97fyx&utm_medium=ios #disinformation #bigtech #socialmedia #education #media #highered #influenceoperations

Absolutely delighted to see the Routledge Handbook of the Influence Industry being used to help define the scope of this excellent new conference. And it looks a great event to submit a paper to! 'Propaganda and Influence: New Historiographical Perspectives' https://calenda.org/1217954?lang=en #propaganda #disinformation #influenceoperations #infoops #influenceindustry

Russia, China and Iran to Continue Influence Ops in Post-U.S. Election Era https://thecyberexpress.com/russia-china-iran-influence-operations/ #CybersecurityForecast2025 #InfluenceOperations #TheCyberExpressNews #TheCyberExpress #GoogleForecast #FirewallDaily #cybersecurity #CyberNews #Russia #China #Iran #AI

Twenty websites found to be posing as major #Japanese #mediaoutlets
"the #boguswebsites might have been systematically created to lay the ground for “ #influenceoperations”.. The 20 #websites are believed to use the same #ISP based in #Singapore.. These sites were likely to have been created using the same #template. Advertisements do not appear on these sites, and #Chinese is used in certain parts of the #sourcecodes. Some categories were also written in Chinese" #PRC ⚠️🧐
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/twenty-websites-found-to-be-posing-as-major-japanese-media-outlets

First reader reviews coming in: Routledge Handbook of the Influence Industry get's ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ praising its insights into the business behind #influenceoperations, global reach of the case studies & our new concept. The reader said it's "clearly a book that belongs on any university-level course that touches on the nature of online influence" but "You don't have to be at a university to enjoy it" 😃 - read more: https://amzn.eu/d/apJZLBK #propaganda #socialmedis #disinformation @potemkinvillage

Very good paper from the NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence showcasing the use of AI models for targeted persuasion campaigns on social media. The paper is split in interconnected 2 parts:

1)
Research focusing on real use cases of AI-Generated persuasion campaigns in the German and Russian languages (AI-generated text in less common languages has been more difficult to detect by current AI detection tools).

The use cases include politically oriented content in German, pro-Kremlin messages, conspiracy theories aiming to cause unrest, and disinformation.

2) (most interesting!)
A red team experiment that looks into an adversary’s potential decision making when it comes to crafting, coordinating and launching a precision persuasion campaign.
The researchers used AI models to:

🔹 Define the "right" target profiles based on topics of interest.
🔹 Identify their demonstrated sentiment & behavioral tendencies (based on a clustered analysis of their posts) on those topics of interest.
🔹 Perform psychometric, behavioral, and opinion-based analysis in order to segment those social media accounts into different groups.
The goal of this segmentation was to dig deeper into discovering certain traits about users that would be used in tailoring the targeting content in accordance with those psychometric characteristics.
🔹 Frame and phrase the message (the content) based on the user profile and the analysis performed in the previous steps, with the help of generative AI.

The results of the output - the "tailored" messages - are very interesting.

Keep in mind that this is the reality that we will be called to face in the near future. A higher scale of well-tailored information & influence campaigns that will not only come accross our own social media profiles, but also the ones of everyday people that may NOT possess the level of awareness that you potentially do, but still have a vote to cast on important topics.

In any case, this is a highly recommended read.
The annex includes some of the prompts along with other interesting details. Enjoy!

Link:

https://stratcomcoe.org/publications/ai-in-precision-persuasion-unveiling-tactics-and-risks-on-social-media/309

#disinformation #influenceoperations #socialengineering #informationoperations #artificialintelligence #AI

Excited to see my new #book coedited with Vian Bakir out on Google Books already! Check it out here if you are interested in how #disinformation #propaganda #influenceoperations #PR #DarkPR #influence #socialmedia #data and #AI are transforming our world: https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Q24bEQAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false @potemkinvillage

CFP ALERT! 🚨 Excited to be co-editing this Forum with @marcowenjones in @NatComm journal Critical Studies in #Media Communication: "A Century of #Propaganda Studies: From pen and sword to surveillant smartphone." See doc for info & submission details! https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRE24SaTlY8by45oJ1ahKM-FdWbn9TeREFFLe-GtgH7IjhJOR0av7mSv8V2OZ8kqOb5CScWrvc_i8tw/pub #disinformation #surveillance #psyop #journalism #influenceoperations #infoops #polcomm #commodon #ai