• As Donald Trump exits, QAnon Takes Hold in Germany

    The storming of the U.S. Capitol illustrated just how dangerous a conspiracy theory can be. In Germany, QAnon is gaining momentum — and its most ardent followers are sticking with Donald Trump.

  • Biden to Inherit Trump’s Aggressive Iran Social Media Campaign

    The incoming Biden administration is inheriting from President Donald Trump an Iran-focused social media campaign that dramatically boosted U.S. engagement with Iranians by sharply criticizing their Islamist rulers, a strategy that President-elect Joe Biden appears set to change. 

  • How Can Corporate Leaders Do More to Defend Democracy?

    In the wake of the assault on the U.S. Capitol, corporate leaders have taken a strong stand for democratic institutions. How does this fit into trends of corporate activism, and what comes next?

  • Most U.S. Social Studies Teachers Feel Unprepared to Teach Civic Learning, a Gap Contribute to Truth Decay

    Only one in five social studies teachers in U.S. public schools report feeling very well prepared to support students’ civic learning, saying they need additional aid with instructional materials, professional development, and training, according to a RAND Corporation survey.

  • How Social Media’s Obsession with Scale Supercharged Disinformation

    The 6 January siege on the U.S. Capitol building illustrates just how powerful a networked conspiracy can be when it’s amplified through social media. “The attack was the culmination of years of disinformation from President Trump, which ramped up after Biden was declared the president-elect — and largely the product of social media companies’ inability to control the weaponization of their products,” John Donovan writes.

  • Furious Extremists Call for More Violence Around Inauguration Day

    In the immediate aftermath of the November 2020 presidential election, pro-Trump and other extremists announced their initial plans to protest President-Elect Joe Biden’s inauguration in Washington D.C. While it is impossible for anyone to predict with certainty how the events of the next week may unfold, recent history has shown that we cannot ignore potential threats from political and other right-wing extremists.

  • U.S. Hits Back at Russian Election Disinformation Ring

    The United States is taking steps to punish members of a Russian-backed influence operation that sought to interfere with November’s election and damage the campaign of President-elect Joe Biden. The Treasury Department on Monday announced sanctions against seven people and four companies, all connected to Ukrainian politician Andrii Derkach, previously identified by U.S. officials as a long-time Russian agent. Derkach fed Rudi Giuliani, Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, Russia-fabricated derogatory misinformation on Joe Biden, and Giuliani’s role in the plot was to disseminate it on pro-Trump news outlets like One America Network.

  • Stopping the Deluge of Disinformation Flooding the Internet, Social Media

    The use and spread of disinformation — false or misleading information intended to deceive people — is being amplified and accelerated at an alarming rate on the internet via social media. Within the U.S., this has quickly eroded trust in institutions that serve as the bedrocks of our society, such as science, the media, and government, to the point that we can’t even agree on basic facts.

  • Extremists React to Pro-Trump Siege on Capitol

    On Wednesday, January 6, 2021, pro-Trump extremists, including some identified right-wing extremists, stormed the U.S. Capitol building, interrupting the Congressional session affirming the election results and forcing a partial evacuation. In chatrooms and other extremist forums, many people cheered the actions of those at the Capitol, praising the trespassers as patriots who were willing to “stand up” to politicians and the government. many users shared their belief that war is coming, and some encouraged people to be prepared for further action.

  • Capitol Hill Riots Prompt Germany to Revisit Online Hate Speech Law

    Numerous social networks were quick to impose bans President Donald Trump, preventing him from continuing to disseminate lies on their platforms, and, more importantly, blocking him from using his social media accounts to incite violence. For many critics, these restrictions came four years too late. The assault on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters has led to fresh calls in Germany for more restrictions on extremist speech in Germany, too.

  • Racist, Extremist, Anti-Semitic Conspiracies Surround Coronavirus Vaccine Rollout

    Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, extremists across the ideological spectrum have used the virus as a platform for elaborate and alarming conspiracy theories. Purveyors of these theories suggest that the vaccine is a new form of population control or elevate debunked fears about the vaccine’s side effects. Some are peddling anti-Semitic tropes about Jewish control of the virus and vaccine, while arguing that Black Americans should be used to test the vaccine’s safety.

  • Online Users Manipulated into Sharing Private Information Online

    Online users are more likely to reveal private information based on how website forms are structured to elicit data, BGU researchers have determined.

  • COVID-19 Experts: Americans Must be Vigilant Against Anti-Vax Rumors in “Fractured Media Universe”

    As the world watches how U.K. residents respond to COVID-19 vaccinations, three leading experts on the virus are urging Americans and the U.S. government to be vigilant against anti-vaccination advocates and their “rumors, misinformation, and conspiracy theories in a fractured media universe.”

  • Russian Influence Peddlers Carving Out New Audiences on Fringes

    After four years of warnings and preparations, the 2020 presidential election did not see a repeat of 2016, when intelligence officials concluded Russia meddled using a combination of cyberattacks and influence operations. But according to current and former U.S. intelligence officials, as well as analysts, the good news ends there.

  • After 8Chan

    The notorious imageboard 8chan was taken offline in August 2019 after several far-right attacks revealed a connection to the site – most notably, the terrorist attack in Christchurch, New Zealand in March 2019, which left 51 people dead. A few months later in November 2019, a site known as 8kun was launched as a replacement, boasting similar freedoms and owned by the same person, Jim Watkins. What is evident is that almost a year into 8kun’s creation, the general attitude towards the site is wholly different to that of 8chan – in that the primary audience it was created for has largely rejected it as a less important and relevant site within chan culture.